Patient Involvement During Clinical Decision-Making
/A research article I presented last year inspired this short blog. The study looked into patient collaboration during decision-making and whether or not patients wanted to be involved. The results indicated that a majority of patients preferred to be a part of making decisions for their intervention. However, the therapists in the study did not utilize this approach. I have included a link to the article if you wish to check it out.
I believe a current misconception about therapy is that the therapist should be in total control of the intervention. This misconception occurs among all healthcare professions, not just physical therapy. A patient’s preferences or ideas should always be utilized in determining their care, but within reason of course. A skilled professional should know a patient’s limits. This approach is a great way to boost motivation and prevent noncompliance. Quality care needs to be a top priority among all professions and what better way to do that than giving patients what they want.
As for those of you reading who are in the patient’s shoes, don’t be shy. Speak up about things you would like to see done in your therapy session or treatment plan. Being involved will certainly improve your end result.
- Patrick Berner, SPT