The Impact of Patient Involvement in Healthcare Decisions – Experiences and Best Practices

The Impact of Patient Involvement in Healthcare Decisions – Experiences and Best Practices

While working in the field of mental health, I witnessed a client, Ms. A, who refused to participate in her medication management for anxiety disorder treatment. Ultimately, the clinician recommended the treatment based on symptom severity and treatment efficacy, yet Ms. A had worries about the possible side effects and opted for a more holistic approach with therapy and lifestyle changes. At first, there was no integration of patients’ preferences, which led to elapses in the treatment planning. Nevertheless, while analyzing Ms. A’s social determinants of health, it was evident that her restricted access to transportation and financial difficulties largely affected her healthcare selection. Given the determinants, the plan was addressed by incorporating therapy sessions online and low-cost community resources for stress management workshops (Kawakami et al., 2021).

Patient choice and acknowledgment of social determinants of health were the keys to a positive trajectory (Hahn, 2021). With the support of Ms. A, the patient felt more empowered and engaged in their care, which enhanced treatment adherence and the patient’s overall results.

Discussing the matter, I realized that the Anxiety Treatment Options tool available at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute’s Decision Aids Inventory would have served me well. This decision aid is full of information about different therapies, such as medication, therapy, and lifestyle changes, and their respective advantages and side effects. Through this instrument, shared decision-making between patients and healthcare providers would be made possible to ensure that treatment plans align with patient’s values, preferences, and social determinants of health (Langford et al., 2019).

I would integrate decision aids such as this into my professional practice so that patients can participate actively in the process of making informed healthcare choices that are best for their circumstances. Moreover, such techniques are designed to create a collaborative care approach, subsequently increasing patient satisfaction and treatment effectiveness.

References

Hahn, R. A. (2021). What is a social determinant of health? Back to basics. Journal of Public Health Research, 10(4). https://doi.org/10.4081/jphr.2021.2324

Kawakami, N., Imamura, K., Watanabe, K., Sekiya, Y., Sasaki, N., & Sato, N. (2021). Effectiveness of an internet-based machine-guided stress management program based on cognitive behavioral therapy for improving depression among workers: Protocol for a randomized controlled trial. JMIR Research Protocols, 10(9), e30305. https://doi.org/10.2196/30305

Langford, A. T., Williams, S. K., Applegate, M., Ogedegbe, O., & Braithwaite, R. S. (2019). Partnerships to improve shared decision making for patients with hypertension: Health equity implications. Ethnicity & Disease, 29(Suppl 1), 97–102. https://doi.org/10.18865/

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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.