Patient Preferences and Decision Making
Description of the case
Mary (not her real name) came to see a physician concerning a lump she found on her breasts. After conducting the necessary tests, it was confirmed that Mary had breast cancer. Mary is a 40-year-old married woman, but her husband did not accompany her to the hospital. After consultation with other physicians, Mary was advised that the removal of both breasts would be her safest option. She was, however, left to decide whether she was comfortable with that course of action. Mary was scheduled for another visit a week later.
On the next visit, Mary was accompanied by her husband. According to the couple, the removal of the breasts was not a choice they agreed with. Citing their religious beliefs, Mary and the husband said that they believed in God’s healing powers; therefore, they will not be seeking treatment for the tumor. The couple turned down all forms of cancer treatment.
Six months later, Mary was rushed into the ER; cancer had spread to both breasts and was beginning to attack the lungs. By this point, Mary’s had stage 4 tumors and required palliative care since it was too late to treat the cancer.
After involving Mary in the treatment plan and allowing her the autonomy to make a choice, the doctors lost the authority to proceed with the necessary treatment plan. If the patient had not been involved in the treatment plan, the physicians would have been able to prevent the cancer from spreading by taking it out at an early stage. The treatment plan failed because of the influence of religious beliefs on the patient’s decisions.
Impact of patient preferences and values on the trajectory of the situation
Including patient preferences and values will impact the trajectory of the situation since the patients will have information on what the treatment plan entails. (Stacey et al., 2017). In this case, involving Mary in the decision-making process made her choose to ignore treatment. Mary, however, lacked enough information, and further involvement in the plan might have influenced her to take the treatment plan.
Patient involvement impacts patient safety. When patients are fully involved in the plan, they can help in reducing risks by communicating whenever they feel the treatment plan is not safe for them. (Stacey et al., 2017). In the case of Mary, she would be better placed to decide what was safe for her if she had enough information about the treatment plan and the side effects of the medications as well as the long term effects of the surgery.
Value of the selected patient decision aid you and how it might contribute to effective decision making, both in general and in the experience you described.
The selected decision aid describes breast cancer in detail. This provides patients with the relevant information needed to understand the condition. In this case, the decision aid would assist Mary in understanding her situation, the causes for the condition, and how it spreads.
The decision aid describes the treatment plans and decisions that need to be considered concerning the condition. This aid can assist patients in understanding the possible treatment options and their effects (The Ottawa Hospital, 2010). For Mary, this decision guide would have helped her in making the right decision concerning her treatment plan.
He decision aid lists the available care options for patients with breast cancer. By providing patients with the care options, the aid enables patients to decide the right care plan for them (World Health Organization, 2016). This decision aid would have helped Mary and her husband in determining how to best care for Mary during her illness.
The decision aid contains both the advantages and disadvantages of breast cancer treatment. The aid, therefore, provides patients with insights on the effects of the treatment plan, thus equipping patents with enough knowledge to influence their decisions (World Health Organization, 2016). In Mary’s case, this decision aid would help her and her husband to make a more informed choice.
The decision aid also compares the probabilities of the treatment outcomes. This gives the patients the information they need to decide if the course of treatment is worthwhile(The Ottawa Hospital, 2010). In Mary’s case, this information would help her to determine whether the course of therapy was relevant in her fact, and she would also know her chances of survival if she refuses the treatment.
Describe how you might use this decision aid inventory in your professional practice or personal life.
A patient decision aid would be useful both in my personal and professional life. In my profession, a decision aid would be vital as it will help me in giving relevant information to patents about their conditions. The guide will aid in creating a doctor-patient relationship since it helps the patients to understand what informed the physician’s choice of treatment and the expected outcomes (Stacey et al., 2017). In my personal life, the decision aid will assist me in making my own decisions about my health. For instance, in the case of breast cancer, I would be better equipped to decide whether I need a mastectomy and what course of treatment would be appropriate for my condition. The aid would also help me understand the possible treatment outcomes and what to expect during and after the treatment.
References
Stacey, D., Légaré, F., Lewis, K., Barry, M. J., Bennett, C. L., Eden, K. B., … & Trevena, L. (2017). Decision aids for people facing health treatment or screening decisions. Cochrane database of systematic reviews, (4).
The Ottawa Hospital. (2010). Patient Decision Aid. Retrieved June 30, 2020, from https://decisionaid.ohri.ca/Azsumm.php?ID=1790
World Health Organization. (2016). Patient engagement.