{"id":80727,"date":"2025-03-04T06:06:21","date_gmt":"2025-03-04T13:06:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=80727"},"modified":"2025-03-04T10:22:45","modified_gmt":"2025-03-04T17:22:45","slug":"projects-aim-to-bolster-patient-decision-support-tools-for-health-care-choices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/projects-aim-to-bolster-patient-decision-support-tools-for-health-care-choices\/","title":{"rendered":"Projects aim to bolster support tools for patients deciding on what kind of health care they want"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Helping
Helping patients navigate the kind of health care they want is the aim of a new initiative at UCHealth. Photo: Getty Images.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Every illness has a terrain that an individual must navigate. The line may be straight, with few obstacles: think the time-worn physician’s advice for enduring a common cold: \u201cRest and drink plenty of liquids.\u201d<\/p>\n

By contrast, the path for a person diagnosed with cancer may be rocky and challenge-strewn: side effects from chemotherapy, fatigue, worries about job loss and many others.<\/p>\n

Many patients with serious illnesses need more support from their medical providers than a straightforward explanation of their disease and treatments, said Dr. Daniel Matlock<\/a>, a professor of Geriatric Medicine<\/a> at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.<\/p>\n

\"Dr.
Dr. Dan Matlock has a longtime interest in involving patients in making decisions about their health. Photo by the University of Colorado.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

He acknowledged the expanding power of modern medicine to treat disease. But he noted an equally strong responsibility for providers: to listen to what patients and their loved ones want from their care. That means helping them make decisions that conform with their values, such as the kind of care and the quality of life they want.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow do we make sure,\u201d Matlock said, \u201cthat we are giving (treatments) to people who really want to go down that path with us and make sure they are fully informed?\u201d<\/p>\n

Matlock has pursued that question since he was a resident at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. He now directs the school\u2019s Colorado Program for Patient-Centered Decisions<\/a>, which is part of the Adult and Child Center for Outcomes Research and Delivery Science (ACCORDS<\/a>). He and his program colleagues support patients and clinicians with initiatives like iDecide<\/a>, which offers a host of free, universally available decision aids in areas spanning heart conditions, colon cancer screening, hospice and more.<\/p>\n

A broader plan to provide patient decision support<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"Dr.
Dr. Russell Glasgow provides guidance in developing decision-support tools that will be implemented and sustained in clinical settings. Photo courtesy of University of Colorado.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Now the ACCORDS faculty is about six months into a new series of projects to bolster patient decision-making power. The effort, funded by the Anschutz Acceleration Initiative<\/a> (AAI), focuses on rapidly researching and creating tools to help patients make tough choices about their health, such as considering the risks and benefits of a procedure, managing multiple chronic diseases, understanding the benefits of their medications and other treatments and weighing where they receive their care.<\/p>\n

Matlock collaborated with Dr. Russ Glasgow<\/a>, a PhD professor and researcher with the Department of Family Medicine<\/a>, in making the five-year funding proposal, which will eventually fund 10 projects. For now, the work focuses on crafting and evaluating decision-support tools in four areas:<\/p>\n