Delivering High-Quality Patient Care: Key Issues to Address Including Shared Decision-Making
Table of Contents
Understanding what matters most to patients is the cornerstone of delivering high-quality care. Clinicians can only align treatments with patients’ priorities and values through effective communication and engagement. Two foundational pillars of patient-centric care play a crucial role in this process:
- Shared Decision-Making
- Informed Choice
Shared Decision-Making
Shared decision-making is a collaborative process where healthcare providers and patients work together to select the most appropriate treatment. This approach is built on three key criteria:
- Best available evidence
- Clinical expertise
- Patient values, preferences, and circumstances
A shift from “What’s wrong with me?” to “What matters to me?” is essential in healthcare conversations. Understanding patients’ preferences, needs, and values requires open and empathetic communication between patients and clinicians.
Informed Choice: A More Comprehensive Approach
Previously referred to as informed consent, informed choice ensures patients can make well-informed decisions about their treatment options. This involves clear communication about:
✅ Benefits – Potential positive outcomes
⚠️ Risks – Possible adverse outcomes
🔄 Alternatives – Other available treatment options
🚫 Nothing – Consequences of not pursuing treatment
According to the Joint Commission, only 1 in 4 consent forms currently include all these elements. The BRAN framework (Benefits, Risks, Alternatives, Nothing) helps transform informed consent into a more comprehensive informed choice, ensuring patients fully understand their options.
Impact on Patient Experience, Outcomes, and Cost
Research shows that shared decision-making and informed choice lead to:
- Higher patient satisfaction
- Improved adherence to treatment plans
- Better health outcomes
- Fewer regrets about healthcare decisions
- Perceived better communication with providers
Additionally, shared decision-making can reduce unwarranted variations in clinical practice and help lower healthcare costs by steering patients toward more conservative, cost-effective treatments when appropriate.
Effective Communication of Risks
Communicating risks effectively is crucial for ensuring patients fully understand their options. Clinicians should:
📊 Use absolute numbers when presenting risk data
🔄 Frame risks in context (e.g., probability of success vs. failure)
🏡 Consider patients’ real-life conditions (e.g., access to care, literacy, transportation)
By addressing these key elements, clinicians can better engage patients, foster trust, and provide high-quality care that truly aligns with patient needs and preferences.
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