Integrating the Shared Decision-Making Approach in Daily Clinical Practice

Course overview

Patient nonadherence continues to be a challenge for healthcare providers. Nonadherence affects the recommended regimen, health outcomes, and overall healthcare costs. Factors such as noncompliance (lack of understanding and/or forgetfulness), costs, patients' negative perceptions of the treatment, lower patient satisfaction, and lower ratings of empathy from physicians are factors that contributed to patient nonadherence. In reference to those issues, communication, collaborative care, and patient involvement are found to improve adherence and health outcomes. Due in part to healthcare reform efforts and health-related provisions, healthcare systems are implementing new initiatives to improve care delivery. This continuing education course introduces the concept of shared decision-making as a new medical practice approach to improve provider-patient communication and enhance patient adherence, patient satisfaction, and quality of care.