Free open-access resource
Care-Team Conversation Planner
Prioritize three questions, record the answers and clarify an agreed next step with your care team.
About 105 KB. Opens in any PDF reader or browser. No purchase needed.
Before, during and after the conversation.
Before
Write your top question and two follow-up questions. Bring the page with you.
During
Write the answers in your own words, and ask whether you understood the next step correctly.
After
Record the agreed next step, who is responsible and when you will follow up.
The planner is for an existing care-team conversation, such as a scheduled appointment or a call. It works for adults and for caregivers who help someone organize their questions.
The complete planner
A place for the questions and the next step.
Here is everything the two pages ask you to write. Fill in your printed or downloaded copy and keep it on your own device or on paper.
Page 1: Prepare and record
- Conversation date and care-team contact
- What I want to understand better
- Question 1 and the answer
- Question 2 and the answer
- Question 3 and the answer
Page 2: Follow through
- The agreed next step in my own words
- Who is responsible and when I will follow up
- Where I will find the recommended learning resource
- One question that still needs clarification
- Optional next learning step
Check your follow-through.
- I asked my most important question.
- I checked my understanding of the answer.
- I know whom to contact and how.
- I kept a private copy of my notes.
Illustrative preparation
Turn a learning question into a conversation.
“I read a food label but do not understand the difference between per-serving and per-package information.”
An invented starting point for practice, not a real person’s story. The questions below are written before the conversation.
Who can help me apply this information within my existing care plan?
The top question goes first, so it gets asked even if time is short.
Which resource should I use next?
A follow-up question that turns the answer into a learning step.
How should I contact the team with follow-up questions?
A practical question so you know the right channel afterward.
Leave the answer lines empty until the actual conversation. The planner records what your care team says; it does not suggest answers.
Want to read about label units first? Food-label numbers start with the units
Keep your notes private.
Your completed planner may hold personal details. Keep it on your own device or on paper, and share it only as you choose. Use your care team’s established channel, such as its patient portal or phone line, for personal health information. Please never send health details to us. This planner helps you organize learning questions; it does not assess symptoms or recommend treatment.
Page previews
See both pages before you download.
Download the planner.
Free, with no email or account. Print it and write by hand, or add notes in a PDF reader that supports annotation. Nothing you write in it reaches us.
2 pages, about 105 KB.
More help for your next learning question.
Free Everyday Learning Workbook
Exercise 5 adds more practice in preparing care-team questions.
Source Credibility Checklist
Check the author, evidence and missing information behind one health claim.
Related reading
Prepare Three Questions for Your Care Team
Prioritize questions and record a next step.
Appointment Notebooks for Care-Team Questions
Question, answer and next-step fields to check.
Before You Trust a Health Article, Check One Claim
Publisher, author, date, support and commercial ties.
The appointment notebooks guide explains what to check if you prefer a bound notebook. This free planner already covers the same question, answer and next-step fields.
General education only. This page helps you organize learning and questions. It is not medical advice and does not recommend a treatment, diet, medicine or blood-sugar target. Personal health decisions belong with your care team. Medical and educational disclaimer
Sources and editorial notes
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 5 Questions to Ask Your Health Care Team (suggests discussing your education needs with your care team), retrieved October 18, 2026.
The worked example is illustrative. Not yet reviewed by a clinician. See our Editorial Policy, Review Methodology and Affiliate Disclosure.
Bring your most useful questions.
Keep space for the answers and an agreed next step. For more practice, the free workbook adds exercise 5.
Immediate download after your request. Follow-up emails are optional.