What is the ultimate goal of shared decision making in healthcare?

The ultimate goal of shared decision making in healthcare is to empower patients to make informed choices about their own health and treatment options. This approach emphasizes collaboration between patients and healthcare providers, recognizing that patients have unique preferences, values, and circumstances that should be taken into account when making decisions about their care.

By providing patients with comprehensive information about their options, risks, and benefits, shared decision making encourages them to actively participate in their own health care. This empowerment facilitates better alignment of treatment plans with patients' individual needs and preferences, which can lead to improved satisfaction and adherence to treatment.

In contrast, ensuring patient compliance with provider decisions focuses more on the provider's authority rather than fostering patient autonomy. Streamlining provider workload may increase efficiency in health care settings, but it does not prioritize the patient's role in decision making. Retaining control over treatment outcomes suggests a paternalistic approach where the provider makes decisions without patient input, which is counter to the principles of shared decision making.