What is the purpose of the Handbook?

Everyone has the right to feel safe and comfortable when visiting a healthcare professional. Although a healthcare experience requires a partnership between a healthcare professional and consumer, it is the professional’s responsibility to provide a safe and stigma-free experience.

This Healthcare Appointment Handbook has been designed by people with lived experience to support others with lived experience when preparing for, attending, and reflecting on a healthcare experience. 

It was developed because people with lived experience consistently speak about their experiences of weight stigma in clinical settings. We know it can be difficult to speak up about this, so we developed this resource to help you plan for what you do, and don’t, want to talk about in your appointments.

This resource was primarily created to assist people living in larger bodies to get the most out of their appointments, however we hope that everyone will find it useful.

How do I use the Handbook?

The Handbook provides a series of prompts and tips to support you during your appointments, helping you feel confident and content with the healthcare you receive. It is, however, up to you how and when you use this handbook. You can pick and choose the sections that you would like to complete.

You may wish to:

• Complete it ahead of your appointment to help clarify your needs and preferences.
• Take it with you into your appointment to remind yourself of key information.
• Share it with the healthcare professional to guide your discussion during your appointment.
• Share it with people you trust to help them support you in your health journey.

The Handbook can be completed in Adobe Acrobat using the Fill & Sign tool, or you can print out the document and fill it in by hand.

Download My Healthcare Handbook

There are two parts to the Handbook available for download.