Medical Decision-Making Essays

Medical Decision-Making Essays Medical Decision-Making Paper Medical Decision-Making Paper The foundation of every successful medical care is an exceptional quality of medical decisions. Yet currently, the delivery of quality patient-focused care is becoming a considerable challenge among citizens, policy-makers, health providers and researchers. The major reason of this setback is due to the fact that the science of medical care is presently advancing at a very hasty pace. Rapid development of new experiments and treatments, latest information regarding disease genetics and biology, and the shift from mostly severe to mainly chronic diseases is an entirely critical contributing factor. When patients get sick, they occasionally confront treatment decisions that can be terrifying and confusing. Consequently, medical practitioners are the ones who commonly formulate medical decisions for the patients, and several patients still favor this approach. However, to attain quality in medical decision-making, patients must involve themselves not only through the acceptance of notification that the decision matches their preferences and values significantly but as well as indisputable involvement. Shared Decision-Making Within the patient-medical partnership, the expressions â€Å"informed decision-making† and â€Å"shared decision-making† are the most popular terms used to embody decision-making process. Nevertheless, shared decision-making goes beyond informed decision-making, since the latter merely refers to the general procedure of gathering significant information equally from the patient’s medical doctor as well as from other sources, with or without explanation of personal values (Kaplan, 2004, p. 1). Shared decision-making, on the other hand, is described as a specific procedure of decision-making by the medical expert and patient in which the latter: (1) is aware of the preventive service, including the alternatives, benefits, risk, and uncertainties; (2) understands the seriousness or danger of the condition or illness to be avoided; (3) has engaged in decision-making at a level at which he or she comfortably feels and desires; and (4) has evaluated his or her values concerning the impending harms and benefits attached with the medical service (Kaplan, 2004, p. 1). Medical practice points out that patient opinion is frequently less essential in treatment decisions. However, devoid of the patient’s opinion, quality medical decisions are evidently unattainable. Overview of Current Scenario Although majority of patients still supports the practice of doctors exclusively formulating medical decisions for them, nevertheless there is a growing consensus that patients should be more involved in their personal health care (BMJ Publishing, 2001). Views on ethics, political trends, and research on health services have all contributed in influencing the prevailing idea. Patients are becoming much less inclined than before to leave medical decisions exclusively to the professionals. Nevertheless, notwithstanding the appeal of shared decision-making, an extensive research is still needed before it can be deployed in everyday clinical practice. Interest groups, such as the public, policy-makers, health providers and researchers must further ascertain the effectiveness of the interventions in terms of health care costs, patient outcome, and patient satisfaction (Kaplan, 2004, p. 2). Studies are as well indispensable in dealing with complex problems germane to patient inclination and the cognitive qualifications of patient partakers. Likewise, feasibility studies to establish if and how shared decision-making can find a place in everyday clinical care. How to Improve Medical Decision-Making One medical response can never be right for all patients. It is important therefore for interest groups to develop a distinctive approach in structuring information that is required to make informed options in health. In structuring medical decisions, the public, policy-makers, health providers and researchers must combine two very essential and diverse bodies of research. Firstly, a systematic evaluation of the data and science must be conducted by them in order to gather the most up to date impartial information on a specified clinical condition (Foundation for Informed Medical Decision Making, 2008). Secondly, they must carry out focus groups to draw together preferences and perspectives of patients concerning these clinical conditions. Accordingly, the interest groups must organize forums in order to discuss theoretical and practical challenges, present medical information and bring out alternatives (SMDM, 2007). Interest groups must then bring this information together and develop specialized up to date collective decision-making programs that consist of highly developed and impartial scientific information in conjunction with the pronouncement of actual patients, explaining their decisions based on individual principles and preferences (Foundation for Informed Medical Decision Making, 2008). It is crucial to make the latest medical information accessible to people in order for them to make use of it. By providing this unique structuring of information, a more efficient and effective physician-patient discussion is created. Moreover, patients are positioned at the center of the health care decisions that they confront. Accordingly, it is significant that interested citizens, policy-makers, health providers and researchers must help in evaluating and developing procedures that would facilitate the involvement of patients in decision-making in relation to their medical care. A growing body of investigation confirms that things work out better when patients are well acquainted and essentially take part in deciding how they are going to deal with or treat their health conditions. Well-informed patients feel better regarding the decision process and their decisions are more expected to be consistent with their concerns, values and preferences. Consequently, these patients are more expected to continue the required treatment schedules, and they frequently end up with superior health after treatment (Foundation for Informed Medical Decision Making, 2008). In addition, there are evidences that the intensifying participation of patients in their health care produces better health results, presenting a practical justification for what may have been an expected transfer in social control and power (BMJ Publishing, 2001). At present, the Society for Medical Decision Making or SMDM is continually advancing health outcomes through the development of sensible systematic approaches to policy-formation in health care and medical decision making by providing an educational discussion that educates and connects the public, policy-makers, health providers and researchers (Society for Medical Decision Making, 2007). Its members work in government agencies, foundations, corporations, corporations, universities, and hospitals worldwide. By being associated to the health care endeavor in various ways, SMDM expects to have an encouraging impact on medical decision-making. Conclusion Time and again, medical decisions that best serve a particular patient considerably depends on the latter’s own principles and preferences. In similar situation, the treatment that may be essential for one patient may not be essential for another. Instead of entirely entrusting every decision to the medical practitioners, it is more valuable for patients to thoroughly understand their medical alternatives, as well as be aware why it is in their interest to fully involve themselves in decision-making. In clinical health care, shared medical decision-making is a significant innovative model. It provides unbiased evidence concerning patients’ harms and benefits concerning medical interventions, in addition to superior quality of decision-making. Undoubtedly, the combination of patient perspectives and medical evidence can generate an accurately informed decision in medical care. References BMJ Publishing. (2001, September 15). Engaging patients in medical decision making. Retrieved January 16, 2009, from bmj. com/cgi/content/extract/323/7313/584 Foundation for Informed Medical Decision Making. (2008). Medical Decisions. Retrieved January 16, 2009, from informedmedicaldecisions. org/shared_decision_overview. htm Kaplan, R. M. (2004). Shared Medical Decision Making. The Community Guide. Retrieved January 16, 2009, from http://thecommunityguide. org/cancer/idm/KAPLAN-consent. pdf SMDM. (2007). SMDM Interest Groups. Retrieved January 16, 2009, from smdm. org/interest_groups. shtml Society for Medical Decision Making. (2007). Welcome to SMDM. Retrieved January 16, 2009, from smdm. org/#