Including patient preferences in nurses' assessment of older patients

Abstract

• The refinement of a patient assessment tool for older patients, Lorensen's Self-Care Capability Scale, is described where a systematic elicitation of patient preferences is included in the assessment. • This study tests a decision analytic approach as a strategy for formalizing subjective judgement, which makes it possible to include patients' own values and preferences in planning patient care. • Applying this technique to patient assessment contributes to explicitly tailoring nursing care decisions to desired outcomes as preferred by individual patients. • A shared approach to decision making between nurse and patient ensures a mutual understanding about goals, priorities and patient values through discussion and negotiation. • This pilot study supported the merit of including patient preferences systematically in the assessment of older patients. • The method provides an important decision aid for nurses in planning nursing care in accordance with patients' own values and preferences for care. © 1997 Blackwell Science Ltd.