Shared decision-making in Spain in 2022: An updated revision of the current situation

Z Evid Fortbild Qual Gesundhwes. 2022 Jun:171:122-128. doi: 10.1016/j.zefq.2022.04.018. Epub 2022 May 25.

Abstract

In Spain, there is not a national strategy to promote shared decision making (SDM) in clinical practice, and it is still not a requisite for improving the quality of health services, in either the legal norms or professionals' educational curricula. However, several national strategies in specific health areas increasingly include the principles of person centred care (PCC) and SDM into their objectives, promoting patients' empowerment and activation. Furthermore, several institutions continue to develop Patient Decision Aids (PtDAs) and other resources to facilitate patients' involvement in their own care; training programs for professionals; links between PtDAs and clinical practice guidelines; as well as interventional studies assessing the impact of PCC and SDM interventions in clinical practice. Initiatives to involve patients in health research design and health technology assessment are also being developed. We describe an update of the current state of research, policy and implementation of SDM after five years of substantial advances in Spain. Many challenges remain regarding national and regional policies on PCC and SDM, implementation of SDM in real practice and educational curricula, development of quality indicators and evaluation procedures.

Keywords: Entscheidungshilfen für Patienten; Gemeinsame Entscheidungsfindung; National Health System; Nationales Gesundheitssystem; Patient decision aids; Person centred care; Personenzentrierte Pflege; Shared decision making; Spain; Spanien.

MeSH terms

  • Decision Making*
  • Decision Making, Shared*
  • Decision Support Techniques
  • Germany
  • Health Policy
  • Humans
  • Patient Participation
  • Spain