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Running head: PATIENT CHOICE AND TREATMENT CONSENT 1
PATIENT CHOICE AND TREATMENT CONSENT 6
HMGT 372 7982 Legal and Ethical Issues in Health Care (6380)
Patient Choice and Treatment Consent
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Saturday, November 5, 2016
This paper is a guide for doctors that set out principles and standards that serve as a good basis for efficient and most appropriate clinical decisions. It provides what choices a patient should have in treatment consent in an effort to include doctors and the clients in effective decision making that involves togetherness.
The main purpose of the paper is to raise the awareness of doctors in the outpatient surgery department. The main decision making process in the surgery room involves the patient as well as the doctors. Therefore, there is a need to raise awareness that helps the doctors in the medical fraternity to understand the importance of patient choice and treatment consent. This is the main aspect of the modern day patient-centered health care provision. Quality modern care for patients involves a good relationship with the patients. This is largely due to the commercialization of the health care industry. Therefore, just like the business world, the client (patient) is the most important stakeholder in the modern day hospitals. Due to this factor, it is important to create awareness for doctors who have a medical training but lack economics and business skills. As such, raising the awareness of doctors in the outpatient surgery department in relation to patient choice and treatment consent is of utmost importance to any health care establishment.
Patient-centered care is the new widely recognized form of service delivery in the health care industry (Australian Center for Health Improvement, 2012). It is among the core modern day dimension for quality assessment. Informed decision making for the patient as well as the doctor involves some form of collaboration. It is therefore a two-way discussion between the doctor or health practitioner and the patient. The main elements that need discussion include the risks, the benefits, the alternative treatments and the overall side effects of whatever decisions will be concluded in the discussion. These decisions are done while taking into consideration the personal circumstances of the patient, priorities in medicine and the beliefs of the patient. Therefore, sincere patient-centered form of treatment involves the patient in every step. A well-informed doctor is good for the practice of medicine. In the same manner, well-informed patients can be very helpful as active partners in the decision-making processes regarding their care. In such collaboration, there will be realistic expectations on the probability and likelihood of outcomes of the treatment as well as an additional layer of protection and vigilance against adverse events, effects and errors.
Patients and doctors share a unique relationship, especially during outpatient surgery. Patients wholly trust the doctors with their lives. In order to increase this trust and make the relationship a two-way thing, doctors need to show undoubted amounts of respect for the life and needs of the patients. According to the General Medical Council (2008), the duties of a doctor are as follows; making patient care the top priority, protection and promotion of health for patients, provision of good standards of care and practice, treatment of patients with dignity and respect and working in collaboration with the patients.
From the above, research shows that doctors in the outpatient surgery department have been able to do all but work as partners with the patients. Therefore, there is a need to provide the reasoning behind the proposal to establish a relationship when dealing with patient choice and treatment consent. Specifically, doctors fail to listen to the patients and respect their standpoint on issues regarding health, failure in clear discussion of the diagnosis, treatment, care, and prognosis. As such, the doctors end up failing to sharing the information that patients need to come up with decisions. Due to this failure, doctors cannot maximize opportunities for patients and the ability the patients have in making decisions. Therefore, the main issue here is that doctors in the outpatient surgery department fail to respect the decisions made by the patients. For a patient to make an informed choice in treatment (especially in the outpatient surgery department) there should be an open partnership that founded on good communication, trust and openness. It is important to note that every stakeholder in the outpatient surgery department has a role to play. Decision-making is not a dictatorial function but rather a process of dialoging in treatment that requires care and trust. There is no single strategy or approach to dialogue universally used for patients. Therefore, doctors must have effective communication skills to manage the task of communicating the relevant information to the patient. This is the main role of the doctor: to provide the patient with the relevant and detailed information that will eventually help the patient to make a choice regarding treatment. While some are well educated and informed on various matters regarding their health, some patients require additional attention and help. It is therefore appropriate for a doctor to offer individualized patient care. This means treating every patient differently.
According to The Health Foundation (2012), describe the process of sharing decisions in medicine as a process as well as a philosophy. Professionals and patients work together in a partnership with the patient being the beneficiary. Parents, next of kin and relevant persona re required to make decisions with regards to health of concerned parties. They do so on the basis of best interests and welfare of the patients. In order to make these decisions, there is a need to have sincere collaboration. Sincere collaboration means that the doctor is not informing the decision makers on the best way forward due to the obligation as a doctor. This means that they do so out of having the best interest of the patient at heart. This is what patient-centered treatment involves and is the sole basis of modern day health care provision. While professional courtesy is required, doctors must additionally act like humans. For a patient to be able to make the best choice, a doctor must allow this patient to feel that their welfare is the priority.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Patient-centered care is the new widely recognized form of service delivery in the health care industry. In this relationship, the patient is the main decision maker in the practice of medicine. In order to attain this form of service delivery, there is a need to raise awareness that helps the doctors in the medical fraternity to understand the importance of patient choice and treatment consent. The paper has identified that decision-making is not a dictatorial function but rather a process of dialoging in treatment that requires care and trust. A relationship when dealing with patient choice and treatment consent should therefore exist between the patient and the professional in health care provision.
References
Centre for Healthcare Improvement (2012) Guide to Informed Decision-making in Healthcare. Available at http://www.health.qld.gov.au/consent/documents/ic-guide.pdf
General Medical Council (2008) Consent: patients and doctors making decisions together. Available at http://www.gmc-uk.org/static/documents/content/Consent_-_English_0911.pdf
The Health Foundation (2012) Helping people share decision making: A review of evidence considering whether shared decision making is worthwhile. Available at http://www.health.org.uk/public/cms/75/76/313/3448/HelpingPeopleShareDecisionMaking.pdf?realName=rFVU5h.pdf
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