The role of physician-patient communication in promoting patient-participatory decision making

Involving patients in decision making (DM) is being advocated in clinical practice. For it to be operational, some behavioural models have been put forward. Yet, their suitability and implementation in primary care are controversial.

To illustrate: (i) some of the strategies general practitioners use to involve patients in DM and (ii) a type of patient involvement in the context of primary care based on the appropriate use of general communication skills along the physician-patient interaction to promote participation without an extensive exhibition of options.

Analysis of two real situations of family medicine practice.

The quality of the process of involving patients in DM depends mainly on the professional's communicative effort to achieve understanding and rapport rather than on an extensive discussion of possibilities or their prioritization.