Search results for 'shared decision making'

Tom Lane, Certified Recovery Support Specialist

Much has been written about patient-centered care. Proof that this model is gaining acceptance is the evolution to shared decision making (SDM). The National Learning Consortium defines SDM as a “process in which clinicians and patients work together to make decisions and select tests, treatments and care plans based on clinical evidence that balances risks and expected outcomes with patient preferences and values.”

In a recent CFYM post John Williams, M.D., writes that there are several tools that clinicians can use to step through the shared decision making process. Dr. Williams opines that when there are many different treatment options, SDM takes on added importance. As a result, a major step in the SDM process must be for clinicians to understand the desired outcomes of their patients.

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Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance for Care for Your Mind

It’s no secret that out-of-pocket healthcare costs—the amount you pay—have risen significantly. These expenses have been trending upward for over a decade and there is no indication that this trend will end anytime soon. In 2013, according to the HealthAffairs Blog, nearly one-third of participants in an employer-sponsored plan had a high deductible. Plans purchased through the federal marketplace have similar out-of-pocket costs, especially at the Bronze level.

The rationale behind Health Savings Accounts (tax-free accounts where money is set aside for medical expenses) is that, when people have a financial investment in their healthcare, they are more likely to make better decisions about how they consume or use this commodity. It’s fair to say that this idea can also support the trend towards higher copays or co-insurance.

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Editor’s note: Care for Your Mind—in partnership with the National Network of Depression Centers and other organizations—has been seeking answers to the question: what’s keeping people from getting the mental health care they need? Shared decision making (SDM) is one piece of the puzzle, through which healthcare providers work with patients to understand their individual needs, preferences, and values. Then, patients and providers discuss different options and make care decisions together. It’s a common sense, personalized approach to care. Dr. John Williams introduces our series on SDM. Join the conversation!

John W. Williams Jr., MD Professor of Medicine and Psychiatry at Duke University

As a patient, would you want your physician making healthcare decisions on your behalf without any regard for your personal preferences, values, or needs? If you’re like most people, you’d prefer to be involved in choosing the care that’s right for you. After all, it’s your body, your mind, your financial resources, and your life.

Shared decision making, or SDM, is a process through which you and your doctor make decisions together, as partners. It’s a common sense concept: you discuss the things that matter to you, your doctor provides information, and then works with you to choose the best treatment for you.

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The quality of the decision making process has significant consequences with regard to treatment experience and treatment outcomes. What is happening in the field of development and use of decision aids?

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Editors’ Note: With Congress in recess for the 4^th of July holiday, we get a brief reprieve from the Senate’s consideration of the “Better Care Reconciliation Act.” From where we sit, this legislation severely undermines gains that we have made in access to and quality of mental health care.

In the spirit of citizen engagement, we offer an encore post from former Member of Congress Tony Coelho on the need for patients – and we would add families, too – to be involved in policy-making. We hope it will inspire you to share your concerns about the proposed changes to the healthcare system and to tell your elected officials how this bill would impact you and your family’s health and wellbeing.

Have a safe and happy Independence Day!

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Tony Coelho, former Member of Congress, author of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and lifetime disability advocate

Since the age of 16, I’ve suffered from seizures. I’m now 74 and six decades of experience as a patient has taught me a lot about the healthcare system. I’ve seen firsthand how it’s evolved to suit the financial interests of the most powerful players and often ignore the needs of patients.

Unfortunately, many of the decisions that affect patient care are made at the policy level, often by bureaucrats with little or no clinical experience. When decision-makers ignore the patient perspective — including individual exam room experiences — care can become sterile, mechanized, and ineffective.

In order to create a system that better treats patients, we need legislators and decision-makers to create laws and regulations that value and support patient input. By bringing patients to the policymaking table, we can create a stronger healthcare system that addresses the needs of the individual and ensures more effective care for everyone as we move forward.

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If your healthcare provider is not accounting for your preferences, priorities, and goals in treating your depression, you may not be getting the treatment that is right for you. Our depression treatment series provides information and strategies for helping you to get your voice heard – and your loved one to get their voice heard – in seeking to get well.

Posts in the depression treatment series

• Depression Treatment: It’s About You
• What You Know Affects Treatment
• Response, Remission, Recovery: What Are Your Depression Treatment Goals?
• Why You Deserve Shared Decision Making
• Shared Decision ...

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Care for Your Mind

Over the past several weeks, Care for Your Mind posts have articulated the “gold standard” of depression treatment: that it should be tailored for each individual living with depression, selected through a process of shared decision making that takes into account the person’s goals, priorities, and preferences. Based on those criteria, it’s reasonable for people living with depression and their families to expect to receive quality depression treatment from their primary care providers, particularly for the first and perhaps second medical treatment regimen. In this final post of the series, we underscore the importance of fully treating depression, meaning that treatment should not be considered completed until residual symptoms have been alleviated.

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