Integrating Patient Values & Preferences in Healthcare
Healthcare professionals (HCPs) claiming to practice Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) typically draw upon the best available research evidence plus their clinical expertise when providing patient care. But EBM is incomplete without a deep understanding of another piece of evidence: the patient’s values and preferences.
Integrating each patient’s unique values (i.e. their preferences, wants, needs, and life circumstances) in clinical care is critical for the best patient-centered outcomes. But, understanding — and integrating — patient values can be challenging.
The 4C Framework for Values Integration
With other researchers from the University of Oxford, I published a systematic review in the medical journal, BMJ Open, analyzing data from 1,032 HCPs and 1,823 HCP-patient encounters. Our study identified over 140 existing approaches to values integration used by HCPs globally in their daily clinical practice. We grouped these approaches into four themes and created the 4C ("Foresee") Framework, a simple model to help HCPs more easily identify and integrate patient values into everyday patient care:
CONCERN
Show concern for the patient as a unique individual and a partner in their own care, and show concern for diseases and their effects on the patient.
COMPETENCE
Competently address diseases, share decision-making, understand and use research evidence, and professionally manage patient care.
COMMUNICATION
Communicate with the patient as a partner, share information and evidence, and manage patient engagement.
CONGRUENCE
Customize care for each patient, and balance their values and preferences with the research evidence and your clinical expertise.
Become an expert
on your patient.
I’M still conducting research on values integration.
let’s talk! contact me or visit the links below to learn more.
