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Patient involvement in care decisions drops after hitting four-year high

Patient involvement in care decisions drops after hitting four-year high
By Carolyn Wickware
2 June 2017



The number of patients who said they were involved in making decisions about their care has fallen by three per cent on last year, according to a new survey.

The Adult Inpatient Survey 2016, commissioned by the CQC, found that 56% of 77,000 patients questioned said they were ‘definitely’ involved in decisions about their care and treatment – down from 59% in 2015.

The number of people saying they were involved in their own care decisions had been increasing from 52% in 2011 to 59% in 2015.

The number of patients who said they were involved in making decisions about their care has fallen by three per cent on last year, according to a new survey.

The Adult Inpatient Survey 2016, commissioned by the CQC, found that 56% of 77,000 patients questioned said they were ‘definitely’ involved in decisions about their care and treatment – down from 59% in 2015.

The number of people saying they were involved in their own care decisions had been increasing from 52% in 2011 to 59% in 2015.

The CQC said research has shown that when people are involved in their own care, decisions are made more effectively and health outcomes improve.

They said: ‘Academic research further suggests that patient experience is positively associated with patient safety and clinical effectiveness.

‘This is supported by research conducted by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which provides guidance for healthcare professionals to improve patient experience.’

In addition the Adult Inpatient Survey found that only 38% of people said that medication side effects to watch out for had been ‘completely’ explained to them, a 2% decrease from the year before.

According to the CQC this was another instance of decline on last year’s survey, ‘disrupting the overall upward trend since 2006’.

The regulator said: ‘Though these declines are generally small, taken together they appear to show a change in patients’ experience of their care.’

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