Chapter 8, Problem 1QC

Who do you want to help you decide which treatment options would be best for you? If not a specific professional (doctor, patient representative, health insurance specialist), what other information would you like to have available to you?

Summary Introduction

To review:

Decision making of a preferable treatment option and the information needed to help make that decision.

Introduction:

Any medical condition may have a number of treatment options available for a patient. Depending on the person suffering from the condition, different individuals or variables can be considered to help choose a treatment option. A lot of information is available, which may help decide, which options suit best to a particular individual. Tools like comparative effectiveness research can help make such decisions.

Explanation of Solution

While some people would see an expert in the field, others might consult a trusted family physician. There is no right or wrong approach to this. However, given the fast-growing advances in the medical field, it is difficult for one specific professional to know everything.

Other information, such as medical history of the patient, age, gender, race, body weight, eating, and smoking habits, can all contribute to measuring the effectiveness of a treatment option. It would be useful for a patient as well as a healthcare professional to be able to make comparisons between different treatment options in order to select what is best for them. A significant analysis of health insurance packages may help in financial cost management for any medical procedure.

Comparative effectiveness research can be a handy and reliable tool in such cases. It can provide information about particular treatment options that might help a patient and their doctor to take such decisions.

Conclusion

Therefore, it can be concluded that different healthcare professionals can be consulted by a patient according to their preference in order to make decisions about treatment options. Information provided via comparative effectiveness research about the effectiveness of a research option may help a patient make such decisions.