DISCUSSION: PATIENT PREFERENCES AND DECISION MAKING

Changes in culture and technology have resulted in patient populations that are often well informed and educated, even before consulting or considering a healthcare need delivered by a health professional. Fueled by this, health professionals are increasingly involving patients in treatment decisions. However, this often comes with challenges, as illnesses and treatments can become complex.

What has your experience been with patient involvement in treatment or healthcare decisions?

In this Discussion, you will share your experiences and consider the impact of patient involvement (or lack of involvement). You will also consider the use of a patient decision aid to inform best practices for patient care and healthcare decision making.

To Prepare:

Review the Resources and reflect on a time when you experienced a patient being brought into (or not being brought into) a decision regarding their treatment plan.

Review the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute’s Decision Aids Inventory at https://decisionaid.ohri.ca/Links to an external site..

Choose “For Specific Conditions,” then Browse an alphabetical listing of decision aids by health topic.

After you have chosen a topic (or condition) and a decision aid, consider if social determinants of healthLinks to an external site. were considered in the treatment plan Social determinants of health can affect a patient’s decision as these are conditions in the patient’s environment, such as economic stability, education access, health care access and quality, neighborhood, and social and community context.

NOTE: To ensure compliance with HIPAA rules, please DO NOT use the patient’s real name or any information that might identify the patient or organization/practice.

Post a brief description of the situation you experienced and explain how incorporating or not incorporating patient preferences, social determinants of healthLinks to an external site., and values impacted the outcome of their treatment plan. Be specific and provide examples. Then, explain how including patient preferences, social determinants of health, and values might impact the trajectory of the situation and how these were reflected in the treatment plan. Finally, explain the value of the patient decision aid you selected and how it might contribute to effective decision making, both in general and in the experience you described. Describe how you might use this decision aid inventory in your professional practice or personal life.

(Please Note: The underlined “social determinants of health” in the above content is meant to hotlink to the following Walden webpage and content:

Social Determinants of Health – Social Determinants of Health – Academic Guides at Walden Links to an external site.University)

REQUIRED READING:

Hoffman, T. C., Montori, V. M., & Del Mar, C. (2014). The connection between evidence-based medicine and shared decision makingLinks to an external site.. Journal of the American Medical Association, 312(13), 1295–1296. doi:10.1001/jama.2014.10186

Kon, A. A., Davidson, J. E., Morrison, W., Danis, M., & White, D. B. (2016). Shared decision making in intensive care units: An American College of Critical Care Medicine and American Thoracic Society policy statementLinks to an external site.. Critical Care Medicine, 44(1), 188–201. doi:10.1097/CCM.0000000000001396

Opperman, C., Liebig, D., Bowling, J., & Johnson, C. S., & Harper, M. (2016). Measuring return on investment for professional development activities: Implications for practiceLinks to an external site.. Journal for Nurses in Professional Development, 32(4), 176–184. doi:10.1097/NND.0000000000000483

Schroy, P. C., Mylvaganam, S., & Davidson, P. (2014). Provider perspectives on the utility of a colorectal cancer screening decision aid for facilitating shared decision makingLinks to an external site.. Health Expectations, 17(1), 27–35. doi:10.1111/j.1369-7625.2011.00730.xThe Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. (2019). Patient decision aidsLinks to an external site.. Retrieved from https://decisionaid.ohri.ca/