Researchers studied patient-centered decision-making, which they define as “the process of identifying clinically relevant, patient-specific circumstances and behaviors to formulate a contextually appropriate care plan.” Researchers analyzed recordings of physician-patient encounters at two Veterans Affairs facilities to determine whether physicians adapted their care plan based on “contextual red flags” that indicated a barrier to patients’ care. For example, signs of poor self-management of chronic conditions — a “red flag” — may be the result of patients’ competing responsibilities or loss of social support, according to the study.
Researchers identified 157 contextual factors with available outcome data. Of these factors, patient-centered decision-making addressed 96, of which 71 percent had improved healthcare outcomes. In contrast, 61 of the 157 contextual factors were not addressed by patient-centered decision-making, and only 46 percent of these factors had improved health outcomes.
The authors concluded that care plans that take into account individual patients’ needs and circumstances are associated with better health outcomes.
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