Published on September 20 2019 – Shared decision making with older patients and their relatives is a challenge for healthcare professionals. In her research, Ruth Pel-Littel (Vilans), Prof. Julia van Weert (ASCOR), Prof. Bianca Buurman (Amsterdam UMC) and Prof. Glyn Elwyn (Darthmouth Institute, USA), developed a tool to measure the extent to which healthcare professionals, older adults and their relatives participate in shared decision making. This tool, the Observer OPTIONMCC(Multiple Chronic Conditions) is based on an internationally used instrument for shared decision making (OPTION 5).
The new tool Observer OPTIONMCCtakes elements into account that are known to be essential in shared decision making with geriatric patients: The identification of personal goals and values that are important for the treatment decision, and the evaluation of the final decision. The Observer OPTIONMCC assesses the input of not only the care provider, but also that of the patients and his/her close relatives, in the decision making process.
To evaluate this new tool, 108 video recordings of conversations between geriatric patients, their relatives and geriatricians in two hospitals (Amsterdam MC and MC Slotervaart) were observed and coded. The results showed that the OPTIONMCCcan be used to measure triadic decision making in healthcare professionals, older patients and their relatives.
In June 2019, the journal Patient Education and Counseling published the article Measuring triadic decision making in older patients with multiple chronic conditions: Observer OPTIONMCC(first online).
This study was supported by ZonMw.
Pel-Littel, R.E. , Buurman, B.M., Van de Pol, M.H., Yilmaz, N.G.., Tulner, L.R., Minkman, M.M., Scholte op Reimer, W.J.M., Elwyn, G., & Van Weert, J.C.M. Measuring triadic decision making in older adults with multiple chronic conditions: Observer OPTIONMCC. Patient Education and Counseling.Advance online publication. doi: 10.1016/j.pec.2019.06.020
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