From Gaby Loria, medical market researcher for Software Advice
Physicians hoping to boost patient engagement in their practices can take heart in the findings of our recent survey report on shared decision making. In our report, 386 U.S. patients shared their thoughts on shared decision making (SDM), including how SDM can improve their experience at point of care and beyond.
Based on the survey, 68% of patient respondents reported that they wanted to make collaborative decisions with their healthcare providers. It is important to note not all medical decisions can or should be made jointly. However, in appropriate cases, SDM is emerging as an answer to patient demand for increased involvement in discussing treatment options.
As part of our survey, respondents watched a short video demonstration featuring Dr. Victor Montori of the Mayo Clinic’s KER Unit using his SDM decision aid cards with a patient. After viewing this video, 40% of the respondents said they have participated in a similar appointment with their provider, with 21% doing so in the past year. It’s encouraging to see such a significant percentage of patients experiencing SDM. However, these results also represent a call to action for advocates who would like to see the vast majority of practices implementing this collaborative patient-physician communication strategy.
Among respondents who had never participated in SDM with their provider, 47% said they would be “extremely” or “very likely” to switch to a provider who actively engages patients in decision making. These findings again reflect a substantial patient interest in the SDM treatment model. With the recent increase in healthcare legislation aimed at supporting and incentivizing value-based care measures like SDM, soon it may not be necessary for patients to leave their providers to get the care they want.
Since one of the primary objectives of SDM (and patient-centered care in general) is to help the patient feel more involved in treatment decisions, it makes sense that a combined 87% of the patients surveyed report that using an SDM model “significantly” or “somewhat” improves (or would improve) how involved they feel with their medical care.
When the patients were asked what—if anything—would discourage their participation in SDM appointments, 46% cited no concerns. This finding reflects a great deal of patient confidence in SDM. However, it is important to consider that 20% of respondents tell us they are concerned because they distrust their own decision making abilities. Dr. Montori points out that this lack of confidence is mostly due to patients having little or no involvement in past decision making sessions with healthcare providers. As more patients experience SDM, more should come to trust their own abilities to participate.
As SDM becomes more common in patient-physician interactions, priority should be placed not only on encouraging further adoption, but also on ensuring that physicians have the right tools for effective implementation. SDM decision aids, such as demonstration cards, are increasingly available for integration into digital patient charting systems like these, which help facilitate adoption of SDM into standard workflow processes. Taken as a whole, the report’s findings point to a bright future for shared decision-making, as this model continues to help improve the quality of treatment discussions and connections between patients and physicians.
