Toggle Navigation Menu

Engaging Patients Through Shared Decision-Making

 |  For Providers

The process by which providers and patients work together to achieve desired health outcomes is frequently complex and rarely straightforward, particularly when multiple options exist. This shared decision-making process is an important driver toward a positive patient experience.

Shared decision-making helps providers and patients agree on a health care plan.

When patients participate in their own plan of care, they build a trusting relationship with their provider, better understand their own responsibility for their health, and are more likely to follow through with the agreed-upon plan.

In turn, providers can share these plans with other providers who are part of a patient’s “care circle,” often resulting in more successful treatment(s), cost-efficient care, and future patient visits as needed.

For many medical decisions, more than one reasonable path forward exists, including the option of doing nothing. These different paths entail different combinations of possible outcomes, including:

  • Starting, stopping, or changing a medication
  • Need for surgery or procedure vs. non-invasive alternatives
  • Sharing information with family and friends about care or even end-of-life decisions

Essential Behaviors of Shared Decision-Making

The ACO CAHPS Solutions Starter highlights several patient experience insights gleaned from its survey:

  • Listening could be the most important thing a provider can, well, provide. Hearing and understanding the patient’s desires and challenges can foster efficient care that improves their health and life.
  • Simple, straightforward language is easier for patients to understand and remember than technical or medical terminology.
  • Body language, both how a provider presents themselves to a patient as well as visible patient cues during the interaction can be telling. Eye contact, calm and unhurried speech, and empathy can help the patient feel more at ease and better understand what’s being discussed.
  • Confirmation and verification can determine whether a provider’s explanations were understood by the patient. Asking the patient questions about information you shared with them can help everyone acknowledge and clarify important instructions or next steps.
  • Cultural, family history, dietary, and various social determinants of health are unique aspects to patient care that may affect your patient’s preferences and priorities.

For ACN participating providers, the Care Coordination team of RNs, behavioral health coaches, social workers and navigators is available to support your patient care. Please contact us at 602.406.4226 or email carecoordination@azcarenetwork.org if you have any questions or would like additional support for a patient.

Select by:

Select by: