Patient decision-making behavior: an emerging paradigm for nursing science

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Patient Engagement
• Medical Decision Making

Background:

• Proliferation of healthcare technologies and therapies increases patient choice complexity.
• Active patient participation in healthcare decisions is a growing phenomenon influenced by sociocultural, ethical, and legal factors.
• Patients often experience bewilderment, stress, and anxiety when making healthcare decisions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To offer a framework for patient decision-making research.
• To guide the extension of current knowledge into a scientific platform.
• To inform the development of decision support interventions.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature review.
• Synthesis of existing research on patient decision making.

Main Results:

• Provides context for understanding patient decision making.
• Explicates the current state of scientific knowledge in patient decision making.
• Identifies theoretical, methodological, and measurement issues.

Conclusions:

• Highlights significant gaps in patient decision-making knowledge.
• Proposes areas for future research and investigation.
• Lays the groundwork for evidence-based decision support interventions.