Steps To Help a Patient Decide on a Medical Treatment

Updated on December 17, 2021
Steps To Help a Patient Decide on a Medical Treatment

Patients from all over have some setbacks concerning primary or specialized care. Usually, many patients and healthcare professionals don’t see eye to eye because of miscommunication, arrogance, or rude staff. When we greet our patients, we need to get to their level of understanding when looking at their health records and deciding the best course of action to treat their symptoms. So, here’s a guide filled with steps to help a patient decide on medical treatment.

Step 1 – Involve Your Patient

One of the most significant steps to help a patient decide on medical treatment is to involve the patient with all decisions and potential therapies.

When sitting down with your patient, you must go over each treatment option front and back and top to bottom.

In other words, you want to be detailed as possible and include no vagueness when going over each procedure.

As you streamline your patients’ options and make each as clear as possible, start going through a list of strategies to enhance your patients’ understanding of their choices.

Involve their friends, family, or caregiver to help make the decision-making process straightforward.

Step 2 – Allow Patients To Explore Their Options

The next step is to allow your patients to explore and compare all available options. They’re more willing to ask questions and communicate successfully during the process.

Additionally, you can help improve communication by administering new education strategies to help patients understand each process further.

Even with many treatment options, your patient might feel overwhelmed, so go over these items with them to help reduce the apprehension:

  • Go over what your patient knows
  • List out common questions and use common jargon
  • Discuss pros and cons of each treatment
  • Try out the teach-back method

Step 3 – Remember the Patients Beliefs and Inclinations

In most cases, many may not see eye-to-eye, but it’s important to regard the patient’s belief system and preferred methods before deciding on healthcare in any specialty.

When discussing the different procedures, open the floor to allow your patient to voice their opinion.

Then, acknowledge them and discuss the most important thing to them, such as cost, recovery time, and certain limitations for personal, cultural, or spiritual beliefs.

Step 4 – Reach a Decision

Now, it’s time to decide. Before discussing anything, go over previous notes and list out the best options for your patient.

Now, you can start going through procedures and setting up progress appointments. Finally, you need to evaluate them.

Step 5 – Evaluate Every Decision

While in your catch-up appointments, document each cycle the patients are in when undergoing their procedure. After a trial period, we encourage you to revisit any other decisions.

Additionally, when a patient selects their treatment plan, we need to respect their choice and support them through the process.

As healthcare professionals, we need to be there through each patient’s step when selecting the process. Not only will helping a patient help them feel independent, but your bonds will also grow stronger.