"What matters to you?"
Placing our patients and their families at the centre of their health care journey and building relationships to improve their patient experience is a priority for SMHS.
“What matters to you?” encourages more meaningful conversations between patients, carers, families and health care staff to help us care for patient’s care is in line with their personal preferences and values.
By asking, listening and responding to what matters to our patients, their families and carers, we promote person-centred care and improve outcomes.
The Oncology Department at Fiona Stanley Hospital is the first SMHS service to implement the “What matters to you?”.
Understanding the “What matters to you?” process
At regular times throughout a patient’s healthcare journey, members of the treating team will ask this simple question, enabling the patient, their carers and family to share what matters to them. These conversations uncover what’s important to our patients and help the treating teams to build trust, develop empathy and better understand our patients.
This simple process consists of three steps.
Step 1: think about what matters to you
Spend some time thinking about what matters to you, and what you would like your treating team to know about you, your life and your healthcare preferences.
We understand your emotions and feelings of fear or uncertainty may make it difficult for you to share what matters to you with a healthcare professional, but you should feel free to discuss:
- what you would like your treating team to know about you
- what is important to you in your care
- what you need to feel safe and comfortable in your healthcare journey.
Step 2: share what matters to you
Sharing with your treating team what matters to you helps them better understand your wants and needs and offer more personalised care.
There are different ways your treating team may ask “What matters to you?”, including:
- “What is important to you at the moment?”
- “What would you like to achieve as a result of this care or support?”
- “When you have a good day, what are the things that make it good?”
- “Is there anything else you want to tell me that I haven’t asked about?”
Remember you don’t need to wait to be asked what matters to you – you can always start a conversation yourself – and there are no wrong answers to the question.
You might choose to share with your treating team thoughts like:
- “I would like my wife to be here when the doctors come to see me today.”
- “It’s really important to involve my grandson in discussions about my care.”
- “The doctors told me I might be able to go home today, but I am worried I won’t manage at home.”
- “I take a while to wake up in the morning and prefer to shower in the evening.”
- “I am so lonely, and I miss my dog Ruby. She is staying with my son but gets upset when I am away”.
“What matters to you?” conversations with your medical team could include questions such as:
- How can I keep my quality of life?
- What are the benefits and risks of this test or procedure?
- Are there simpler, safer options?
- What happens if I don’t follow these suggested actions?
- Can you provide more information so I can make a more informed choice?
Although your treating team may not always manage to address everything that you share with them, it is still important to have these conversations with them so they can support you as much as possible.
Step 3: work in partnership with us
Being involved in “What matters to you?” conversations helps build strong partnerships with your treating team.
What matters to you today may be different to what matters to you tomorrow – this is why it is important that these conversations continue throughout your patient journey.
More information
For further information about “What matters to you?”, please ask a staff member who will be able to answer your questions.