Decision support for assessing patient preferences for geriatric care

Area of Science:

• Geriatric Nursing
• Health Informatics
• Patient-Centered Care

Background:

• Assessing self-care functions in elderly patients is crucial for effective care planning.
• Integrating patient preferences into care assessments can enhance patient engagement and outcomes.
• Existing assessment methods may not adequately capture individual patient values and goals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To test the strategy and feasibility of a decision support system (DSS).
• To assist nurses in integrating elderly patients' preferences for self-care functions during assessment.
• To evaluate the DSS's impact on nurse-patient understanding and goal clarification.

Main Methods:

• Pilot study involving 12 elderly clients and one clinical nurse specialist (CNS).
• Utilized a decision support system (DSS) to guide nurse-led patient assessments.
• Collected feedback from both the CNS and elderly clients on the assessment process.

Main Results:

• The CNS found the DSS strategy very helpful for identifying patient strengths and weaknesses in self-care.
• Clients reported that discussing preferences clarified their goals and fostered shared understanding with the nurse.
• Patients demonstrated clear understanding of their problems and ability to differentiate preferences.

Conclusions:

• The DSS is a feasible and helpful tool for nurses assessing elderly patients' self-care needs.
• Eliciting patient preferences through a DSS supports individualized care and shared decision-making.
• Findings underscore the importance of patient values in clinical outcomes and personalized healthcare approaches.