Module 6 Discussion Patient Preferences and Decision Making Patient preferences
Module 6 Discussion Patient Preferences and Decision Making Patient preferences can help healthcare providers make daily treatment decisions by embracing the patient’s values and preferences through a collaborative process called Shared Decision Making (S.D.M.) (Cussen et al., 2020). A total knee replacement was performed on one of my post-operative patients when I was working at a rehabilitation center. I learned that the patient’s excruciating pain made it difficult for the therapists to provide occupational and physical therapy. I told the physician that the patient sought to have a test one hour before treatment since they took a certain painkiller regularly at home. The patients were able to participate in all of their therapy sessions without experiencing excruciating pain because their discomfort was under control and the order had been established. When jointly discussing healthcare decisions with clients, healthcare practitioners must assess the patient’s values, interests, and circumstances to ensure that integrating their preferences offers a desired outcome that is not detrimental (Páez et al., 2021). When various treatments did not seem to be able to ease the patient’s discomfort, in my role as a clinician, I would ask them about the pain medication that had previously worked well in managing their pain. I then had a conversation with the doctor, who seemed receptive to the notion of using this medication as part of the therapy regimen. Even if it wasn’t specified in the patient’s treatment plan, this medication could be taken. I decided to use knee replacement surgery as my decision-making tool. The intended audience, who has worries about their knees, is given detailed information about what causes degradation of the knee, including arthritis. The patient choice aids include information on the benefits and potential risks of knee replacement surgery, the anticipated healing period, and the estimated time frame for knee healing (Bekker et al., 2023). Patient decision aids are advantageous to the doctor since they inform patients about what to expect from their recovery following surgery. Using the decision-aid inventory as a reference, nurses can reaffirm certain recovery facts, such as the expected length of therapy, pain management techniques, and activity levels. All patients can use this information to determine whether or not they need to proceed with knee replacement surgery, and rehab nurses can provide it to them. The results can then be discussed with medical specialists to determine the best course of action for therapy. References Bekker, H., Winterbottom, A., Gavaruzzi, T., Finderup, J., & Mooney, A. (2023). Decision aids to assist patients and professionals in choosing the right treatment for kidney failure. Ndt Plus, 16(Supplement_1), i20–i38. https://doi.org/10.1093/ckj/sfad172 Cussen, J., Van Scoy, L. J., Scott, A. M., Tobiano, G., & Heyland, D. K. (2020). Shared decision-making in the intensive care unit requires more frequent and high-quality communication: A research critique. Australian Critical Care, 33(5), 480–483. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aucc.2019.12.001 Páez, G., Forte, D. N., & Del Pilar López Gabeiras, M. (2021). Exploring the Relationship between Shared Decision-Making, Patient-Centered Medicine, and Evidence-Based Medicine. The Linacre Quarterly, 88(3), 272–280. https://doi.org/10.1177/00243639211018355