There are situations in medical professionals’ lives when the patients’ involvement in the treatment process improves treatment outcomes and even saves their lives. I faced one of such cases in my medical practice. I encountered a patient who moved in with her daughter. They could not get along, and it was apparent that there were many negative family issues. In addition to constant yelling and insults from her, the daughter refused to take care of the patient and help her do the necessary daily activities and take medications. The patient was too weak to do the treatment herself. These conditions have led to depression, food and water refusal, bedsores, and sepsis in the patient. She asked me to place a nursing home, so I contacted a social worker to help her.
In this case, including patient preferences and values drastically changed the treatment process from critical worsening to incremental improvement. The patient understood that the daughter would not assist her and decided to move to a place where she would receive proper care. Once again, I was convinced that patient involvement and shared decision-making are “essential to quality health care” (Hoffman et al., 2014, p. 1295). I chose Depression in Older Adults: Choosing an Option to Improve Mood patient decision aid (Alphabetical list of decision aids by health topic, 2020). It provides essential information about antidepressants and includes the Hamilton Rating Scale of Depression (HRSD) that describes symptomatology of all types of depression (Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors for the treatment of depression in adults, 2013). My experience and knowledge gained from this patient decision aid will allow me to identify depressive tendencies and offer them help before their health deteriorates. I will also use the Hamilton Rating Scale of Depression (HRSD) in my medical practice and personal life.
References
Alphabetical list of decision aids by health topic. (2020). Web.
Hoffman, T. C., Montori, V. M., & Del Mar, C. (2014). The connection between evidence-based medicine and shared decision making. Journal of the American Medical Association, 312(13), 1295–1296.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors for the treatment of depression in adults. (2013). Web.