I have experienced patient involvement in treatment and healthcare decisions for a patient with diabetes who wanted more information on patient education and self-management. Still, there is a challenge to prioritize patients’ preferences and professional when patients lack information and knowledge. The diabetic patient wished to be involved in shared decision-making. Preferences are one of the considerations in shared decision-making, including treatment and management decisions. Trust in physicians and nurses likely influenced the patient’s willingness to participate in shared decision-making.
Evaluating what influences patient preferences for participating in healthcare decisions is helpful to promote informed decision-making as there would be a focus on facilitating shared decision-making. Meeting patients’ needs and evaluating their preferences should be a top priority, and promoting patient engagement makes it easier to determine patient preferences. In decision-making, it is necessary to consider the benefits and risks of decisions and patient preferences to inform patient decisions and involvement (Friedrichs et al., 2016). Patient preferences are increasingly prominent in shared decision-making about care and treatments, and getting informed is necessary to reduce knowledge deficit and make decisions based on the best evidence.
Even if patients engage in active decision-making, using the best evidence to support clinical decisions is necessary. Thus, in the case of the diabetic patient, it was necessary to respect the patient’s autonomy preferences while exercising professional judgment. Patient preferences can influence treatment choice, and in patient-centered care, there is a focus on supporting patients and families to make informed decisions (Lindsay et al., 2020). Patient-centered communication, patient education, and empowerment facilitate shared decision-making. Hence, patients and families make informed health care decisions, and patient-centeredness is essential for promoting high-quality health care.
The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute inventory of decision aids is one tool that facilitates clarifying patient choices and using the best evidence to support decisions. Personalizing patient decisions and enabling patient involvement is one of the benefits when using the decision aid. Diabetes is one of the specific conditions in the decision aid, and the type of decision aid is treatment, and the target audience is adults with diabetes type 2 (Ottawa Hospital Research Institute). Patient decision aids present individualized information and interventions tailored to the patients’ needs.
