This week is National Inclusion Week and Cancer Research UK held an internal talk on how to hold and normalise “courageous conversations” to foster inclusivity and belonging. While this week focuses on the workplace, it got me thinking that there are similar tools needed to navigate discussions with health professionals. 

Having “courageous” or difficult conversations with your doctor or nurse is common, but your comfort and confidence can affect the outcome of these conversations. 

Some people feel comfortable in their workplace and some don’t, but many people don’t feel comfortable in a hospital environment and this can be for many reasons. With all these feelings about the environment you’re in, from the doctor’s office to the surgery room, it’s not always easy to feel like you have the power to raise concerns or ask questions of your medical team. 

Difficult discussions, by their very nature, can bring out the fight or flight response in ourselves, so it’s important to acknowledge when we might get defensive and overcome this by staying present, listening and responding as clearly as possible in the moment. 

Empathy can be really useful in conversations, as we can’t always get our point across if we don’t bear in mind who we’re talking to and where their advice may be coming from. Taking notes is another useful tool and not only will slow the conversation down, allowing you to process what’s being said more easily, you’ll also have something to look back on when you get home. 

On Cancer Chat we see lots of posts about appointments and the discussions had, such as treatment options, side effects and as well your experiences with a particular doctor. As moderators want to advise and empower members to be active in these conversations. 

There’s guidance about talking to your doctor on our website, but I’d love to hear what your own tips are for having fruitful conversations with your doctor.