Surgeons support patient-centred quality of care through shared decision making

Nova Scotia Health’s Shared Decision Making in Cardiac Interventions module is helping providers and care teams support their patients in making thoughtful and informed decisions about their surgical options. 

Shared Decision Making (SDM) is a formalized approach that involves patients in clinical decisions.

“We’ve done extensive work in cardiac research to design and use an approach that centres patient preference to align their expectations with the potential outcomes of undergoing surgery,” says Health Outcomes Scientist, Ryan Gainer. “Shared decision-making aims to provide better informed consent and better discussions not just between the surgeon and patient but with a multidisciplinary team.”

The shared decision-making approach has been in development as part of Nova Scotia Health’s Surgical Access and Quality Improvement Strategy to assure the appropriateness of surgical care for patients. Now fully implemented with patients referred to cardiac surgery, the module is being expanded to other surgical specialties such as otolaryngology and urology.

When multidisciplinary members of the surgical care team use the SDM approach and provide patients with decisional aides, patients are better equipped to better understand outcomes and better weigh the benefits and risks associated with their surgery.

Read more about the shared decision making approach here.

In July, Gainer, along with members of the Nova Scotia Health surgical team, presented an evaluation of the Shared Decision Making module at the American College of Surgeon’s Quality and Safety Conference. This conference is a professional forum for surgical teams to collaborate and share knowledge and advance quality and safety initiatives to improve patient experience and outcomes.