Taking Charge of Your Care

The Essential Questions Pamphlet and Know Yourself Worksheet help patients prepare for a visit to their doctor and discuss their preferences with their family and health care team.

Essential Questions to Ask Your Doctor:

What information do I need to help me make a decision about treatment?
What information do you use to make treatment recommendations for me?
What are your realistic goals for my treatment?
What are the chances that I can be cured?
What are my chances of a long-term response with good quality of life?
Are there clinical trials available to me?
How will I feel during treatment? Will I be able to work?
Take care of my family? Travel? Be around young children?
What help will I need in managing the side effects of treatment? When and for how long?
Should I consider a second opinion regarding my diagnosis and treatment?
Are there different approaches to treating my kind of cancer?

The Know Yourself Worksheet explores:

Hopes and goals about diagnosis and prognosis
Personal goals and milestones
Quality of life during and after treatment
Impact of disease and side-effects
Other concerns

Order the Take Charge Toolkit with Essential Questions and the Know Yourself Worksheet in our online store and take it with you to your next appointment, or print out the PDFs below.

Download the Essential Questions PDF Download the Know Yourself Worksheet Order the Free Take Charge Toolkit

Use these prompts to help you prepare for your doctor’s visit and discuss your wishes with your physician and your family.

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Be Your Own Advocate

Ask Your Physician About Care Planning

Will you give me a written or electronic plan that summarizes our discussion, my treatment choices, and advice for managing treatment and side effects?

Teamwork: Start a Conversation

For more about talking to your oncologist and other medical professionals, check out our publication “Teamwork: The Cancer Patient’s Guide to Talking With Your Doctor” online or order a low-cost copy from our store.

What is cancer care planning?

Learn about best practices, sample templates, and more »

Health Care Professionals:

If you are a health care professional and would like bulk quantities of the Take Charge Toolkit with Essential Questions, please visit our online store.

“The Essential Questions” © 2013, National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship. All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced, displayed, modified, or distributed without the express prior written permission of NCCS. For permission, contact info@canceradvocacy.org.

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