Over the last several years, patients have begun taking a much greater vested interest in their health and wellness. While patients of previous generations took their doctor’s word at face value, today’s patients are researching their symptoms and conditions online, downloading case studies and engaging with other patients in internet forums. While this means some patients arrive for their visit armed with a self-diagnosis and droves of misinformation, it also means people are becoming more invested in their treatment.

To leverage this interest, and help patients take a more active role in their care plan, many healthcare providers are usingShared Decision Making（SDM）。换句话说，这是一种策略，在这种策略中，临床医生没有代替患者做出决定，而是为患者提供所需的知识，并共同完成决策过程。

Here are three things you should know about SDM, and how to best implement it in your own practice:

分享决策基于认识论

认识论或研究信仰与观点差异的知识理论是医生每天使用的。您不仅习惯于解释自己的诊断，还习惯了您如何得出这个结论。但是，关于SDM，这是一条双向街道。为了使这种策略成功，首先必须有两件事：（1）您的患者必须相信您是手头主题的专家，（2）您必须相信您的患者至少对该主题有一些知识，因为出色地。这使您可以就他或她进行公开和诚实的讨论健康与护理计划.

共同决策有3个阶段

The great thing about developing care plans is it gives you the opportunity to provide your patient with a treatment roadmap. The downside is your patients may not always follow these instructions. The best way to achieve their buy-in is to develop this plan together using the three stages of SDM. They include:

• 选择: After you’ve evaluated and diagnosed your patient, the first step in the SDM process is to provide the patient with all the choices she can make about her treatment.
• Options: The next step is to explain the various treatment options in depth. During this phase, you should highlight the potential benefits and risks for each treatment path, and provide resources she can use to learn more about each option.
• Decisions: During the final phase of SDM, you should help your patient weigh the benefits and risks, discuss any additional concerns and assist her in making a decision that makes her feel comfortable.

Shared Decision Making Improves Patient Satisfaction

SDM最大的好处之一就是empowers patientsand helps them form more open relationships with their physicians. This not only helps ensure your patients take a more vested approach to their care plan, but they’ll also feel more comfortable coming to you with follow-up questions and concerns.

“Shared decision making really gets to the heart of what engages patients,” says医学博士Andrew Dorwart博士, at Stillwater Medical Group in Stillwater, MN. “Physicians and patients are very satisfied when patients have the information they need to make appropriate decisions.”

通过赋予患者的能力并通过您的专家指导来决定其健康状况，您可以提高患者满意度并与患者建立长期关系。

Building relationships is key to improving patient satisfaction, but it’s also important to focus on patient comfort. Review our line of患者舒适解决方案, designed just for physicians like you.