Patient roles in decision-making

Participation by patients in making decisions about treatment is widely encouraged. However, there is little evidence from patients about their preferences with respect to this. This study used a card-sort approach to explore the actual and preferred participation in making decisions about treatment among a sample of 405 patients with renal disease. The study identified that the majority preferred to adopt a passive role in decision-making. The findings highlight the need for nurses to identify individual patient preferences with respect to participation and to explore why a person may choose to adopt a particular decision-making role.