NURS 6052 Discussion: Patient Preferences And Decision Making Example

NURS 6052 Discussion: Patient Preferences And Decision Making Example

There has been a rise in the number of well-informed patients seeking to be actively involved in their treatment planning and decision-making. Therefore, patient involvement in care or treatment planning and decision-making has increased. McCarron et al. (2019) note that patient involvement may impact patient care, the situation, and its outcomes. In this discussion, I will share my experience with involving a patient in decision-making and in developing their treatment plan, how incorporating patient preferences, social determinants of health, and values impacted the outcome of the treatment plan, and how incorporating patient preferences may impact the trajectory of the situation. In addition, I will explore how a selected patient decision aid might contribute to effective decision-making in general, in the above experience, and how the decision aid inventory can be used in personal or professional life.

When dealing with well-informed patients, I usually engage them in care planning and decision-making to make them feel part of the care process. One of my experiences was when I was recently working in the oncology department. I engaged my patient in all phases of care, from assessment to evaluation. I first provided her with the necessary information on the condition and the treatment options and, after that, sought her preferences, which we would implement after determining whether it was the best option.

In this case, incorporating patient preferences and values impacted the situation’s trajectory. It led to better adherence, which contributed to the desired care outcomes. Josfeld et al. (2021) note that shared decision-making in cancer care promotes treatment adherence and often leads to better care outcomes. In addition, a lack of patient involvement may lead to failure to accept a diagnosis and adhere to treatment appropriately (Butler et al., 2020). More so, incorporating the patient’s social determinants of health in treatment planning enables the care provider to select options that the patient can access. For example, a care provider may consider a patient’s level of education and determine whether providing patient education using reading materials would be appropriate, or even decide the level that the patient education content should be developed.

The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute has developed a decision aids inventory consisting of various patient decision aids based on different health conditions. These aids help patients involved in decisions by making the decisions explicit, identifying the outcomes, and clarifying personal values (Witteman et al., 2021). The selected patient decision aid is Cancer, Fertility and Me: Helping you make the Right Decision. Since cancer treatment is associated with fertility loss, the decision aid helps cancer patients decide how to preserve their fertility before starting cancer treatment. The options include no fertility, preservation, egg freezing, embryo freezing, ovarian tissue freezing, and ovarian suppression.

The decision aid would help the patient after being diagnosed with cancer by informing her on the side effects of cancer treatment, including infertility. Additionally, the patient decision aid provides the patient with the available options that she can select to preserve her fertility as she undergoes cancer treatment. According to Wieringa et al. (2019), the care provider can go through the options on a decision aid with the patient, thus clarifying and providing more information to help the patient decide based on their values and preferences.

Patient engagement in care planning and decision-making should be cultivated. It leads to increased adherence and enhances desirable outcomes. The patient decision aids inventory can be applied in professional practice to inform patients about treatment options and increase awareness of available options on a condition, thus informing decision-making for better outcomes.

References

Butler, E. D., Morgan, A. U., & Kangovi, S. (2020). Screening for unmet social needs: patient engagement or alienation? NEJM Catalyst Innovations in Care Delivery, 1(4). https:///doi.org/10.1056/CAT.19.1037

Josfeld, L., Keinki, C., Pammer, C., Zomorodbakhsch, B., &