BMJ 2001;323:584-585 ( 15 September )

Editorials

Engaging patients in medical decision making

The end is worthwhile, but the means need to be more practical

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

The growing consensus that patients ought to be more involved in their own care lies at the confluence of several powerful ideas. Political trends, thinking on ethics, and research on health services have all contributed. As experienced consumers, patients understand that they have rights, and they are much less inclined than they used to be to leave medical decisions entirely to the experts. Ethicists have by and large accepted the principle that autonomy (what the competent, informed patient wants) trumps beneficence (what the doctor thinks best for the patient) in all but the most extreme circumstances.¹ In addition, there is evidence that the expanding involvement of patients in care produces better health outcomes, providing an empirical rationale for what may have been an inevitable shift in power and social control.²

A supplement to this September's issue of Quality in Health Care focuses on engaging patients in medical decisions. Twelve articles, . . . [Full text of this article]

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    StumbleUpon    Technorati    What's this?

Relevant Article

Time for change

M A Branthwaite
BMJ 2005 331: 681-683. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Fotaki, M., Roland, M., Boyd, A., McDonald, R., Scheaff, R., Smith, L. (2008). What benefits will choice bring to patients? Literature review and assessment of implications. J Health Serv Res Policy 13: 178-184 [Abstract] [Full text]  
• Branthwaite, M A (2005). Time for change. BMJ 331: 681-683 [Full text]  
• Woolf, S. H., Chan, E. C.Y., Harris, R., Sheridan, S. L., Braddock, C. H. III, Kaplan, R. M., Krist, A., O'Connor, A. M., Tunis, S. (2005). Promoting Informed Choice: Transforming Health Care To Dispense Knowledge for Decision Making. ANN INTERN MED 143: 293-300 [Abstract] [Full text]  
• Douglass, J, Goeman, D, Aroni, R, Thien, F, Abramson, M, Stewart, K, Sawyer, S. (2004). Choosing to attend an asthma doctor: a qualitative study in adults attending emergency departments. Fam Pract 21: 166-172 [Abstract] [Full text]  
• Ikkos, G. (2003). Engaging patients as teachers of clinical interview skills. Psychiatr. Bull. 27: 312-315 [Abstract] [Full text]  
• Emslie-Smith, A., Dowall, J., Morris, A. (2003). The problem of polypharmacy in type 2 diabetes. British Journal of Diabetes & Vascular Disease 3: 54-56 [Abstract]  
• Vincent, C A, Coulter, A (2002). Patient safety: what about the patient?. Qual Saf Health Care 11: 76-80 [Abstract] [Full text]  
• Treasure, T (2002). Whose lung is it anyway?. Thorax 57: 3-4 [Full text]  

Rapid Responses:

Read all Rapid Responses

Are we engaged?

Stephen Workman
bmj.com, 14 Sep 2001 [Full text]

Decision making: a two way process?

Alberto Febles
bmj.com, 16 Sep 2001 [Full text]

Promote "pro-choice" advance statements

Michael H K Irwin
bmj.com, 16 Sep 2001 [Full text]

Engaging patients in medical decision making

Syed Shahid Mahmood
bmj.com, 20 Sep 2001 [Full text]

Patient's Preferences

Stuart Weatherby, et al.
bmj.com, 25 Oct 2001 [Full text]

Online poll

Find out more >>