What Do Patients Want? Patient Preference in Wound Care

Abstract

Patient preferences are statements made or actions taken by consumers that reflect their desirability of a range of health options. The concept occupies an increasingly prominent place at the center of healthcare reform, and is connected to all aspects of healthcare, including discovery, research, delivery, outcome, and payment. Patient preference research has focused on shared decisions, decisional aids, and clinical practice guideline development, with limited study in acute and chronic wound care populations. The wound care community has focused primarily on patient focused symptoms and quality of life measurement. With increasing recognition of wound care as a medical specialty and as a public health concern that consumes extensive resources, attention to the preferences of end-users with wounds is necessary. This article will provide an overview of related patient-centered concepts and begin to establish a framework for consideration of patient preference in wound care.From the seminal models of evidence-based practice, patient preference has occupied a prominent place in clinical decision making. More recently, consideration for patient preference emerges as a key component in the redesign of healthcare processes with significance for improving outcome and safety.2 But what are patient preferences? How are they elicited, regarded, and incorporated into recommended action? What interrelated patient-centered concepts have been studied in various patient populations? Lastly, what contribution has the wound care community made to the understanding of patient preference? This article aims to introduce the reader to the issues, begin a dialogue on patient preference in wound care, and suggest opportunities for future discovery.Patient preferences are ''statements by individuals regarding the relative desirability of a range of health experiences, treatment options and health states.'' 3(p259) Preferences reflect beliefs and attitudes of the patient and family, and are related to the process, probability, and severity of potential choices. 4 Patient preference is conceptualized and measured differently across disciplines, from health economics, patient education, psychology, ethics, and using qualitative and quantitative approaches. In the field of medicine, oncology has been the frontrunner in operationalizing methods to determine patient preference for various cancer treatment options, most notably in breast and prostate cancer treatments.

The humanistic and economic burden of chronic wounds: A systematic review

“…The inferior HRQoL observed for patients with chronic wounds is worst for physical pathologies, and is similar or markedly lower in some HRQoL domains when compared to other chronic conditions, e.g., chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cardiovascular diseases . Pain and reduced mobility were reported as the main problem areas for patients with wounds, which underlines the urgent need for improvements in those domains to alleviate the most negative impacts of the condition . It should also be noted that HRQoL may differ between participants due to what wound treatment patients received, if any additional complications were present as well as the current stage of the wound healing trajectory.…”

Education in people with venous leg ulcers based on a brochure about compression therapy: A quasi‐randomised controlled trial

“…They have been proven to be an effective medium to increase patients' satisfaction and adherence and may contribute to their empowerment . There is an agreement that an informed patient can participate constructively as an equal partner to the treatment process . Therefore, there is a high demand for brochures addressing patients and their relatives .…”

A Survey of Wound Carein a Surgical Department in an Urban Clinical Setting in Northern Part of Nigeria

“…Wound care represents a major health burden in Africa and most parts of the world [1,2]. With increasing recognition of wound care as a medical specialty and as a public health concern that consumes extensive resources, therefore attention to patient focused symptoms and quality of life measurement are necessary [3].…”

“…This reflects beliefs and attitudes of the patient and family, and are related to the process, probability, and severity of potential choices [4]. The concept occupies an increasingly prominent place at the center of healthcare reform, and involves all aspects of healthcare, including discovery, research, delivery, outcome, and payment [3].…”