QBS 138/ PH 131 Patient Centered Health Communication

Health care decisions are complicated – really complicated – and frequently lack evidence to determine a ‘one best’ course of treatment. As such, patient‐centered health communications increasingly are recognized as a critical means to facilitate health care decisions that provide patients with “the care they need, and no less; and the care they want and no more” (Al Mulley, The Dartmouth Center for Health Care Delivery Science). Shared decision making is one strategy to promote better communication with patients and has been described as “the pinnacle” of patient centered care (Barry, Mass General Hospital).

The objectives of this course are to 1) engage you to think broadly about the impact of communication at the patient, institutional, and population level, with a focus on shared decision making; 2) to gain skills and experience related to the design and development of decision support tools and methods; 3) to understand the challenges involved in implementing decision support into practice at the clinical and policy level.

(0.5 Unit)

Cross Listed Courses

PH 131

Distributive and/or World Culture

Dr. Paul Barr