- 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/.
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- Choose “For Specific Conditions,” then Browse an alphabetical listing of decision aids by health topic
- .Post a 2-page description of the situation you experienced and explain how incorporating or not incorporating patient preferences and values impacted the outcome of their treatment plan. Be specific and provide examples. Then, explain how including patient preferences 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.
Expert Solution Preview
Introduction:
As a medical professor who trains future healthcare providers, it is critical to integrate patient preferences and values in delivering care to patients. By doing so, we can ensure that our patients receive the best possible care while respecting their autonomy. The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute’s Decision Aids Inventory is an invaluable resource that can help physicians and patients make informed decisions together. In this article, I will reflect on a situation where a patient’s preferences were ignored, and explain how including patient preferences and values can influence treatment plans. I will also evaluate a patient decision aid selected from the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute’s Decision Aids Inventory.
Question:
Reflect on a time when you experienced a patient being brought into (or not being brought into) a decision regarding their treatment plan.
Answer:
There was a time when a patient was admitted to the hospital, and a plan of care was developed for her without considering her preferences and values. The patient had diabetes mellitus and was admitted with complications related to uncontrolled blood sugar levels. The initial treatment plan included a strict diet, frequent insulin injections, and blood sugar monitoring. However, the patient was unwilling to follow the plan as it required significant lifestyle changes and interfered with her daily routine.
The healthcare team, recognizing the importance of tight glucose control in diabetic patients, insisted that the patient follow the prescribed treatment plan. After a few days of failed attempts, the patient started to feel depressed and demotivated. She believed that the proposed plan was unrealistic and impossible to follow, and she was not consulted when the plan was developed.
As a result, the patient’s blood sugar levels remained high, and she developed new complications such as wound infections, urinary tract infections, and fungal infections. It was only when the patient’s daughter became involved and explained her mother’s cultural beliefs that the healthcare team realized how they had ignored the patient’s preferences and values.
If the healthcare team had taken the time to discuss the treatment plan with the patient and involved her in the decision-making process, they could have tailored the plan to make it more realistic and acceptable to the patient. By doing so, they could have prevented the development of additional complications and provided care that was more patient-centered.
Question:
Choose a decision aid from the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute’s Decision Aids Inventory and explain its value in effective decision-making.
Answer:
The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute’s Decision Aids Inventory is an excellent resource that provides various decision aids to help patients make informed decisions about their care. One such decision aid that I find particularly valuable is “Preparing for surgery” aid.
The “Preparing for surgery” aid is designed to help patients prepare for surgery by providing them with information about their surgery, what to expect before, during, and after the procedure, and how to manage their pain and care for themselves at home. It also informs patients about the potential risks and benefits of surgery, as well as what to expect during their hospital stay.
The value of this decision aid lies in its ability to empower patients and involve them in the decision-making process. It provides patients with the information needed to make informed decisions about their care, helps manage their expectations, and reduces anxiety and stress related to the surgery. By involving patients in the decision-making process, we can ensure that our patients’ preferences and values are respected and that they receive the best possible care.
As a medical professor, I will include this decision aid in my lectures to illustrate the importance of involving patients in the decision-making process. I will encourage my students to use this decision aid and others from the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute’s Decision Aids Inventory in their medical practice as it will contribute to effective decision-making, benefitting both the patient and the healthcare team.
