"What matters to you today?" How this simple question can improve patient care

Summary

Asking a simple yet powerful question: ‘what matters to you?’ can give us, as healthcare professionals, vital insights into the lives of our patients, not always captured in routine assessments.

If what matters to a patient is then shared with the whole multidisciplinary team (MDT) it can ensure that ongoing support and treatment is focused around the patients’ priorities, rather than what we think is important as healthcare professionals. It becomes truly patient focused.

This blog was written by Ann Bryan, a physiotherapist, and Ines Brito, an occupational therapist, both part of the therapy team working at the Marie Curie hospice in Hampstead.

Content

Over the last 2 years we have been changing some of our conversations within Marie Curie Hospice, Hampstead, with a view to promoting this patient-centered approach. We developed a new suite of questions, including:

• “What matters to you?”
• “What’s important to you today?”
• “What is worrying or annoying you?”
• “How can we best support you?”

The outcome of these discussions is fed into the weekly MDT meeting and reviewed by all those involved in the patients’ care and then action points are agreed upon in response. Ask, Listen and Act.

This suite of questions has helped us listen to and action what matters to patients. These conversations have significantly changed the focus of the MDT, ensuring that discussions are centered on areas of greatest concern and importance to our patients. 

So, has it made a difference? Practice has changed and the suite of questions have become embedded in practice. 100% of patients, every week, are offered a "what matters to you?" conversation; patients are now presented in the MDT by stating their name, age and then what matters to them, before even their diagnosis or symptoms are discussed.  

Each week the team learns vital pieces of information that we would not have known, had we not asked these important questions. It has also helped professionals connect on a more personal level with patients and anecdotal evidence has shown an increase in job satisfaction. 

Key learning points

• You can’t guess what matters to patients.
• Some people find it uncomfortable talking about what matters to them.
• What matters to patients can change, so it's important to not only ask once.
• Asking what matters helps us to see patients more as people and connect with them on a different level.
• Three elements make what matter to you successful – Ask, Listen and Act. 

Discussion

• Asking patients "What matters to you?" is a powerful, simple question that can positively influence care, practice and job satisfaction. It costs no additional money. Research is now needed to investigate the financial implication of not asking "What matters to you?" and perhaps the emotional implication to our patients if we omit the question...
• Take a few minutes to think how you would answer: What matters to you today?

About the Author

Ann Bryan is a physiotherapist and Ines Brito an occupational therapist, both part of the therapy team working at the Marie Curie hospice in Hampstead.