Agency News and Notes

New brochure helps people find information and support following a medical diagnosis

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality released a new publication, Next Steps After Your Diagnosis: Finding Information and Support, to help patients who have been diagnosed with an illness learn more about their condition and treatment options. Included in this brochure is a list of 10 important questions that patients can ask their doctors when they receive a diagnosis. The questions are designed to help individuals understand their disease or condition, how it might be treated, and what they need to know before making treatment decisions. Selected organizations and other resources, such as Web site addresses and phone numbers, are also included to help provide additional information on current medical research, clinical trials, and outcomes research about certain conditions and treatment options.

This publication is part of a series of health care resources that will help patients make informed decisions about how to receive quality health care. This brochure aims to assist patients, not only with finding information and resources, but also with the various physical and emotional aspects of dealing with a diagnosis.

The brochure can be found online at http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/diaginfo.htm. Free single copies of Next Steps After Your Diagnosis: Finding Information and Support (AHRQ Publication No. 05-0049) are also available from the AHRQ Publications Clearinghouse.

Return to Contents
Proceed to Next Article