Shared decision-making

Patient-centered care aims to empower patients to become active participants in their care, with a shift from provider-centric norms to care processes arranged around patients’ beliefs and needs. Patient centricity calls in fact for accurate consideration and reflection of patients’ values, preferences, and choices at every step in the healthcare pathway. This requires that physicians develop good communication skills and address patient needs effectively [Reynolds, 2009]. Communication is a crucial factor impacting the perceived quality of care from the perspective of patients and their caregivers. An adequate communication is expected to have a positive influence on the quality of care. Charles, Gafni, and Whelan [2004] distinguished four possible archetypes in patient-clinician interactions, which in turn reflect alternative approaches in communication summarized in Table 24.1.