Making decisions for vs. with the patient

As a 3rd year internal medicine resident, I have so many times made decision for my patients without asking them for their opinion about it. Most of the time, it has been as routine as starting a new blood pressure medication while not talking to the them about the possible side effects that I have found to be one of the important factors resulting in non-adherence by my patient to that medication and then having them labeled as “uncontrolled HTN in the setting of non-adherence to medication”.  What I have learned in only 3 years is that when it is a shared decision the results are much better, patients are less likely to be non-adherent and they  trust in me and team more.  Yesterday we had a session on the consent form and the value and importance of shared decision-making. We talked about catastrophic … Continue reading →