The Effects of Shared Decision-Making on Patient Participation in Discharge Meetings in a Behavioral Health Unit

Research suggests that persons diagnosed with behavioral health illnesses can benefit from shared decision-making. On an inpatient behavioral health unit, low Press Ganey scores related to satisfaction with involvement in care triggered a root cause analysis that identified patients did not feel engaged by nursing during their time together; and discharge meetings with the health care team were not required.

The purpose of this quality improvement project was to improve patient perception of involvement in their care as evidenced by increased Press Ganey scores and increased number of patients involved in discharge meetings.

Nurses used an evidence-based model for nurse-patient communication: the Seeking information, Engaging in conversation, Exploring options, and Deciding on treatment (SEED) and use of a Control Preferences Scale (CPS) to increase communication about treatment and discharge decisions.

A total of 120 patients engaged in the intervention. Patient presence at discharge meetings increased from 39% to 82% (p < .001), and Press Ganey scores evidenced minimal change.

Use of the SEED model and CPS by nurses was effective in increasing patients' involvement in their treatment. Although findings were limited due to COVID-19, the study suggests that improving patient involvement from admission through discharge throughout hospitalization can improve patient experience scores.