Finding clear explanations and a coordinated care team

Start with the question you need answered today

A visit can become crowded with details before the main concern is clear. Tell the clinician what you most need to understand: why symptoms persist, whether a test is needed, how two recommendations differ, or what comes next. Bring a short account of your symptoms and the tasks affected. Ask the physician to reflect back the main issue if you are unsure it has been understood. A shared starting point makes the rest of the explanation easier to follow.

Ask for the connection, not just the conclusion

If a clinician points to an image, ask how that finding relates to your symptoms and examination. If they recommend a treatment, ask what it is intended to change. You can ask for a sketch or a simple comparison of options if that helps. It is also reasonable to ask what remains uncertain. A concise explanation should still answer the 'why' behind the plan. You should not have to memorize every anatomical term to understand the next decision.

Use your own words to check the plan

AHRQ describes teach-back as checking whether information has been explained clearly by asking a person to describe it in their own words. You can start the process yourself: 'Let me make sure I have this right.' Explain what you think the diagnosis is, what you will do next, and what should happen afterward. If something is missing, that gives the clinician a precise point to clarify. This is a check on the explanation, not a test of how good a patient you are.

Sources: AHRQ: Use the Teach-Back Method, Tool 5

Turn information into a short shared plan

AHRQ’s action-planning guidance links a personally meaningful goal with specific, realistic steps. Ask the team to make the immediate action concrete: who schedules the appointment, who sends the records, when you start the agreed plan, and when you will review progress. If there is a barrier, such as travel or a difficult work schedule, bring it into the conversation. A smaller step that you understand and can carry out is worth discussing rather than silently agreeing to a plan that will not work.

Sources: AHRQ: Make Action Plans, Tool 15

Connect the people involved

If a physician, therapist, primary care clinician, and outside imaging center are involved, ask which information each needs. Tell the team about recommendations from elsewhere so differences can be addressed. Keep a brief list of the next tasks and the contacts for them. Ask which questions go to the physician and which office handles arrangements. The plan should be clear enough that you can explain it at home, including what to do if a result or referral has not arrived.

Bring these priorities to Commons Clinic

Our team includes orthopedic physicians and physical therapists with different areas of focus. The profiles below introduce Allyson Estess and Prem Ramkumar, whose work includes sports and joint care. Tell the clinician what you want to understand and how you prefer to receive information. You can ask us to compare the choices, explain the reason for a test, or clarify how therapy fits with the plan. Before leaving, review the next action and who will help arrange it.

Check the explanation with your own words

AMA communication education emphasizes listening carefully to the patient’s story. After an explanation, try connecting it to your own experience: 'Does this finding explain why that activity hurts?' Invite our physician to correct your understanding and identify what the explanation does not yet account for. Ask for the meaning of a term before it becomes the basis for another decision. A diagram or written summary may help. The goal is a shared account of the problem and next step that you can use when talking with the rest of your care team.

Sources: 6 simple ways to master patient communication

Connect the result, the explanation, and the next action

AMA test-result guidance includes telling patients what to do if expected results do not arrive. Extend that question to the whole handoff: who receives the result, who explains it, and who acts on it? Write down any appointment you must arrange yourself. If more than one clinician is involved, ask which person will reconcile different recommendations. Tell our team when you are unsure whether another office received the plan. A result sitting in a portal and a treatment decision understood by everyone are separate steps worth confirming.

Sources: Reporting Clinical Test Results — AMA Code of Medical Ethics, Opinion 2.1.5

Sources & further reading

• AHRQ: Use the Teach-Back Method, Tool 5
• AHRQ: Make Action Plans, Tool 15
• 6 simple ways to master patient communicationAmerican Medical Association · Published January 29, 2025
• Reporting Clinical Test Results — AMA Code of Medical Ethics, Opinion 2.1.5American Medical Association

We use these medical sources to help explain your options and prepare you for a conversation with our team. Our guides feature our own clinicians; patient reviews describe individual experiences.

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