Journal of evaluation in clinical practice
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Nineteenth-century American philosopher Charles Sanders Peirce offered a picture of the scientific method that can be fruitfully applied to the practice of medical diagnosis. Physicians can use this framework to become more self-consciously aware of what they are doing when they diagnose medical conditions, and they can also learn more about the potential pitfalls of communication between physicians and their patients.
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The objective of the present study is to describe the development and field testing of a preference-elicitation tool for cervical cancer screening, meeting International Patient Decision Aids Standards (IPDAS) quality criteria. ⋯ The results from our field test of this tool provide preliminary evidence of the tool's feasibility, acceptability, balance, and ability to elicit women's informed, values-based preferences among available cervical screening modalities. Further research should elicit the distribution of preferences of cervical screening modalities in other regions, using a sample who represents the screening population and a rigorous study design. It will be important for researchers and screening programmes to evaluate the tool's ability to elicit women's informed, values-based preferences compared with educational materials.
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The language used in clinical practice is a key enabler to the success of treatment. Without good communication which is underpinned by values, therapeutic engagement and treatment outcomes will not be as successful.
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The aim of this review was to evaluate the implementation of shared decision-making (SDM) in dentistry and the roles of informed consent and patient decision-making aids (PDAs) as part of this process. ⋯ SDM is applied in dentistry and is influenced by many factors. Informed consent is an important part of this process. PDAs in more dental fields need to be further developed, in order to ensure a satisfactory integration of patients in the SDM process.
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In this paper, I will show how philosophical theory can be applied in the most fundamental area of health care practice, the relationship between the provider and the receiver of care. I will look at the process of becoming a patient and remaining a person. This will begin with a discussion of Heidegger's notion of solicitude alongside the related notions of concern and care, leading to the affirmation of authentic solicitude as the most ontologically appropriate relationship between those who provide and those who receive care. ⋯ This will be followed by a brief discussion of the ancient idea of phronesis (wisdom) in which I will attempt to elucidate, from the side of the health care professional, the way that their relationship with patients can work in a way that recognizes personhood in their patients. I will also consider the dialectical nature of the relationship between patients and doctors (and everyone else who treats us) and try to understand how this points towards the conclusion of a person-centred approach to health care. Following this discussion, I will offer a couple of examples of what person-centred health care might look like in practice, as a means of illustrating, in practical terms, the philosophical approach that I have used.