National Quality Partners Offers Help for Shared Decision-Making

NQP, in association with AAPL, is giving patients, their families and caregivers some tools to prepare them for conversations with their physicians.

Shared decision-making is hardly a new concept for physician leaders, but the successful implementation of the process isn’t always that simple. Obstacles such as health literacy, a patient’s mental capacity or impairment, cultural distinctions and religious beliefs all contribute to the challenge.

To better navigate those barriers, National Quality Partners , in association with the American Association for Physician Leadership, is giving patients, their families and caregivers some tools to prepare them for conversations with their physicians to help arrive at optimal health care decisions.

Those tools include booklets, videos and online resources that educate about the risks and benefits of health care options available to patients, respective to their particular conditions or circumstances, and help ensure that informed decisions align with the patient’s goals, values and preferences.

Conforming to national standards developed by the National Quality Forum, these high-quality aids are evidence-based and unbiased, and allow for options to be weighed on the best available information. They neither advise people nor attempt to influence the choice of one option over another. They do not replace physician consultation but instead prepare patients for more informed, enhanced and engaging discussions with their physicians.

Because the NQF aids provide clear documentation of informed patient decisions, they also tend to provide physicians with an additional layer of medical and legal protection.

For information, email NQP at nationalqualitypartners@qualityforum.org.