Talking to your doctor with the Navigator Tool
Chronic pain impacts more than just the body. We know that for people living with pain, raising concerns about wider aspects of health in appointments with their health-care professional is not always easy and their concerns and worries do not always feel relevant. Doctors can also find it difficult to introduce wider issues around pain during routine appointments.
Pain Concern has now developed a paper-based tool for patients to prepare themselves to bring up their concerns and worries in appointments. Designed to help patients navigate their concerns and bring the most important questions up in primary care appointments, To access the full Navigator Tool, please send a request to research@painconcern.org.uk. You can read a summary of the report here, the full report can be found here. There's a short video introduction here …. and loads of other videos on the Pain Concern website
The Pain Navigator Tool
The most useful aspect of the tool was the My pain concerns form, as it identifies areas of living with pain that do not usually come up in routine consultations. We encourage people with pain, and healthcare professionals caring for people with pain, to use the form in appointments.
If you are the person with pain, download My pain concerns form and instructions to your tablet, computer or print a paper copy.
HINT: How you feel about the statements may change from day-to-day; choose agree or disagree according to what you feel is right.
The form Questions to ask your health-care professional has some suggested questions that you might want to ask. You might also have your own questions based on the concerns you have identified.
HINT: The My pain concerns form and Questions to ask your health-care professional are colour-coded to make them easier to use