Communicating with your team

Communicating with doctors
Cancer Council (AUS, 2023)
A collection of online videos and fact sheets to help patients, families and carers communicate with their treating team. Topics: Advocate for yourself; Make the most of your appointments; Sharing your emotions; Partnering with your doctors.
(videos and fact sheets)

Communicating with your healthcare provider
NPS MedicineWise (AUS, 2017)
Simple tips to help you prepare for, and follow up on, appointments with your treating team.
 (web)

Question builder
Healthdirect and Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (AUS, 2017)
This easy-to-use, free web tool helps you prepare a list of questions that you would like to ask your doctor, by guiding you through a series of steps and prompts. The resulting list can be printed or emailed to you.
 (web tool)

Communication and cancer: Talking to your treatment team and loved ones
Ovarian Cancer Australia (AUS, 2017)
Clinical Psychologist Dr Katharine Hodgkinson shares techniques for open communication and discusses how best to communicate with your treating team. Includes strategies for recording treatments and appointments, and talking with your family members about cancer. Denise Firth shares her personal experiences of communicating with her team, and her family and friends. Scroll down the page to find this webinar.
 (webinar)

CancerAid app
Free app created by Sydney-based doctors that can be used to share updates with family and friends, keep track of symptoms and appointments and document experiences. Also has the option to safely connect with 30,000 other people going through similar experiences.
(app available from App Store or Google Play)

My Cancer Care Record
North Eastern Melbourne Integrated Cancer Service (NEMICS) (AUS)
This very handy tool provides forms to help you keep records of your medical and health-related information together.
 (web tool)

5 questions to ask your doctor or other healthcare provider
NPS MedicineWise (AUS)
This page lists five questions you might wish to ask your treating team when they suggest a particular test, treatment or procedure.
 (web)