Essay On Shared Decision Making In Nursing

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Research has shown that the largest and most universal barrier for shared decision-making is time constraint {11}. Part of being a nurse entails many tasks to be completed throughout the day, it is therefore important that when a nurse is interacting with a patient they set aside an adequate time to allow clear communication and clarity. Making shared decisions under time constraints can create several problems such as the wrong decision being made which can lead to inconvenience for both the patient and the nurse. This is because the nurse and the patient will not have enough time to properly go through the different treatment options and answer any queries that the patient might have. A solution to this barrier can be the nurse not just ‘fitting’ …show more content…

This suggests that professionals that engage with SDM are unaware of what SDM entails and therefore it will not be implemented. A solution can be to provide the necessary training to raise awareness of the impact that SDM can have on patient experience and how it can be achieved. Elwyn et al (2004) study reflect that it’s achievable to be able to train nurses in SDM {13}. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of skill development workshops for SDM and the use of risk communication aids: the results reflected that clinicians notably improved their involvement of the patient in decisions and were confident in doing so {13}. A BMJ talk medicine podcast discussed the importance of changing the attitude of patients about SDM. It highlighted the fact that many patients feel like they will irritate the clinicians by engaging, they have a desire to be a ‘good’ patient who doesn’t ask too many questions and that they prefer to leave the decision into a person who has knowledge about their condition {14}. Nurses would, therefore, need to create an environment where the patient feels comfortable and confident to ask any questions they want, they can do this by assuring the patient that it is okay for them to have questions and inform their patient that they are there for

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