by Holly Hayes
Shared decision-making in healthcare involves providers working with patients to determine the best course of action for their disease. We wrote about a New England Journal of Medicine article on this topic here .
As a follow-up, Peter Ubel’s website on Health, Well-Being, Bioethics and Behavioral Economics has a link to an article titled “10 ways to make better decisions about cancer care.” It is a simple guide that breaks down the ways patient can participate in decisions regarding their care and better understand their options without getting overwhelmed.
Also helpful is Dr. Ubel’s book “You’re Stronger Than you Think: Tapping the Secrets of Emotionally Resilient People.” He describes the book as follows:
In this book, I explore the reasons why people frequently underestimate their emotional resilience in the face of adversity. People often believe that happiness is a matter of circumstance. That they would be miserable if they became seriously ill or disabled. In this book, I write about 5 people who have faced serious adversity and managed to thrive. I weave their stories together with discussion of the science of emotional resilience, with the hope that I can give people useful insights to help them understand what people do when faced with adversity.
Shared decision-making can be enhanced by the use of conflict engagement skills in the healthcare setting. We welcome your thoughts on this topic.
Holly Hayes is a mediator at Karl Bayer, Dispute Resolution Expert where she focuses on mediation of health care disputes. Holly holds a B.A. from Southern Methodist University and a Masters in Health Administration from Duke University. She can be reached at holly@karlbayer.com.
