professional and regulatory bodies expect clinicians to work in partnership with patients – an ‘ethical imperative’ (Coulter, A. and Collins, A. (2011)
patients who actively participate in managing their own health, and making decisions about their own health care have better outcomes
Support; inform; describe; ensure
support patients to understand and articulate what they want to achieve; preferred outcomes; goals
support patients to understand and articulate their understanding about their conditions
inform patients about their condition, treatment options and relative benefits
support patients to understand and articulate their own concepts of risk/harm
describe what is know about risks/harm associated with options
ensure that patients and clinicians arrive at a decision based on mutual understanding of this information
Decision-making and mental capacity
Adults who have capacity retain the right to make their own decisions and to direct their own lives.
Adults lacking capacity to make decisions, though their retain the right to be involved in decision-making as far as possible, nevertheless require decisions to be made on tier own behalf, in their best interests
References
Coulter A, Collins A (2011) Making shared decision-making a reality. No decision about me, without me. The King’s Fund, Foundation for Informed Decision-Making p.vii. View this document
British Medical Association (2011) Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults – A tool kit for General Practitioners, p18. View this document
