Patients Impact on Decision Making - Case Study Example

A clean environment, where safety rules for sterilization of instruments, disposal of used injection needles, and a high standard of maintenance are followed. The single most important expectation of the patient would be to get relief from the illness or disease, from good quality treatment given by the physician, with the help of the other health care workers. The main purpose of the patient visiting the health care facility is to get his health problem attended to and get relief from the same as early as possible.

According to Lighter (2004:p.xi), the specifications of a quality health care system would include safe and effective therapy that is available promptly; where clinical decisions are based on the best available scientifically sound evidence, with consideration of the physician’s skills, the surgeon’s skills, and the values of the patient. Education: This factor is important, because the patient’s knowledge about his illness or disease, and his expectations regarding treatment and cure, are dependent on how educated or well-informed he is.

This, in turn, influences the way a patient behaves. A patient with a low standard of education, or none at all, normally accepts the physician’s diagnosis, and may not comprehend the extent of his health problem. He may also not follow the treatment correctly, as advised by the physician, having difficulty understanding the significance of the procedure, the drugs, or their dosage. An educated person, on the other hand, will clarify his doubts from the physician or nurse practitioner. Their higher level of knowledge about their own health and personal conditions will prompt them to seek Shared Decision Making Systems (SDM), in which they will work collaboratively with healthcare workers to select treatment and care that includes patient preferences (Slack, 2005: p.209).