Patient participation

Patient participation, also called shared decision-making, is a process in which both the patient and physician contribute to the medical decision-making process. Under this operating system, health care providers explain treatments and alternatives to patients in order to provide the necessary resources for patients to choose the treatment option that most closely aligns with their unique cultural and personal beliefs. In contrast, the current dominant form of medicine, the biomedical care system, places physicians in a position of authority with patients playing a passive role in care. Under this paradigm, known as medical paternalism, physicians instruct patients about what to do, and the patients often follow the physicians' advice. Relatively recently, however, a general shift has occurred in which patients are more involved in medical decision-making than before. A recent review of 115 patient participation studies, for example, found that the majority of respondents preferred to participate in medical decision-making in only 50% of studies prior to 2000, while 71% of studies after 2000 found a majority of respondents who wanted to participate. Variations of each method, including medical paternalism and patient participation, may be preferred by different patients.