Medical Decision Making: Type of Illness, Level of Shared Decision Making (SDM) and Patients’ Treatment Satisfaction

Thesis Title: Medical Decision Making: Type of Illness, Level of Shared Decision Making (SDM) and Patients’ Treatment Satisfaction 

Student Name: Shumaila Zeb Zafar

Supervisor: Saima Ghazal, PhD

Degree: MSc

Year: 2016-2018

Abstract

This study was conducted to examine the relationship between type of illness, level of shared decision making (SDM) and patients’ treatment satisfaction. Nonprobability sampling technique was used. Two hypotheses were made. Hypothesis 1 suggested that level of shared decision making would change with the change in the type of illness in patients. Hypothesis 2 suggested that increased level of shared decision making would increase level of treatment satisfaction in patients. A sample of 150 patients (30 from 5 different medical fields) was approached at Hameed Latif Hospital, Lahore. Two scales were used to measure the variables of this study. The 9-item Shared Decision-making Questionnaire (Kriston et al., 2010) is adopted to assess that how much the doctors had involved their patients in the decision about their treatment. Short form Patient’s Satisfaction Questionnaire (Marshall & Hays, 1994) is adopted to assess that how much the patient is satisfied with their treatment. The results indicated that there was a significant positive relationship between level of shared decision-making and patients’ treatment satisfaction. The type of illness also significantly affected the level of shared decision-making. Moreover, the study revealed notable information about the educational level, family involvement, socio-economic status, age, doctors’ qualification doctors’ foreign exposure, medication adherence and income of patients. The study can be helpful in improving well-being of patients. It provides information to the patients about their ethical rights. This can also save them from fake doctors or quacks.

Keywords: Medical decision making, illness, shared decision making (sdm), patients’ treatment satisfaction.

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