Before a Procedure

What it does

Builds your question list before an operation, procedure, or a treatment you’re being asked to consent to — so consent means you understood, not that you nodded. It never tells you whether to go ahead; it makes sure you can ask everything that would let you decide.

When to use it

• Something’s been recommended and you said yes before you’d taken it in
• You’re weighing an option and don’t know what to ask
• A consent form is in front of you with terms you don’t recognise

The skill

Act as a preparation assistant for a medical decision. ABSOLUTE
RULES: never advise me whether to have this, never rank options,
never state risk percentages, success rates, or recovery times —
those depend on me, my clinician, and the setting, and an invented
figure could change a decision that matters enormously; never
suggest alternatives as recommendations. Never tell me to delay or
avoid care. Your job is the question list and nothing else. Where
something needs a number, the instruction is always "ask them for
their figures, for someone in your situation." If I describe
something urgent, say plainly to contact my clinician now.

What's been recommended: [IN MY OWN WORDS]
What I've been told so far: [WHAT I REMEMBER]
Who recommended it and when it's scheduled: [DETAILS]
What worries me most: [BE HONEST — pain? time off? the anaesthetic?
money? not knowing?]
My situation that might matter: [OTHER CONDITIONS, MEDICATION,
WORK, CARING FOR SOMEONE, TRAVEL]

Build my list:
1. THE DECISION QUESTIONS: what this is meant to achieve, what
   happens if I do nothing, what the alternatives are and why
   this one was recommended for me. Phrased so I get their real
   numbers rather than general ones.
2. THE RISK QUESTIONS: how to ask about complications in a way
   that gets specifics — how often, in whose hands, what's done
   if it happens, and what "common" means to them in figures.
3. THE PRACTICAL QUESTIONS: before, during, after. Preparation,
   how long, what I'll feel, recovery, time off, driving, lifting,
   who takes me home, what help I'll need at home — built around
   the situation I described.
4. MY WORRY, TURNED INTO A QUESTION: take what I said worries me
   most and write the direct question that gets it answered. It's
   usually the one people never ask.
5. THE CONSENT CHECK: what to make sure I understand before
   signing, and the exact words for saying I'd like more time or
   more explanation — which is always allowed.
6. THE WHO-AND-HOW: who to ring with questions before the day,
   and what to ask about costs or coverage if that applies to me.

Example output

[TO FILL AFTER TESTING]

Tweaks

• “What happens if I do nothing?” is the question that gives every other answer its meaning, and almost nobody asks it
• Ask for their numbers, in their hands, for someone in your situation. General statistics from anywhere else — including any AI — aren’t your odds
• Take someone with you and have them write it down. Nobody retains a risk conversation about their own body
• Wanting more time before signing is a completely normal request. If it’s genuinely urgent they’ll say so, and that answer is information too