Strategies to facilitate shared decision‐making in long‐term care

Aim The aim of this study was to explore shared decision‐making among residents, their families and staff to determine relevant strategies to support shared decision‐making in long‐term care (LTC). Background Meaningful engagement of long‐term care home (LTCH) residents and their families in care decisions is key in the provision of quality of care. Shared decision‐making is an interprofessional approach to increasing resident and family engagement in care decisions which can lead to higher quality decisions, more relevant care interventions and greater resident, family, and staff satisfaction. Despite these advantages, shared decision‐making has not been widely implemented in practice in LTC. Methods The study took place in one LTCH in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. A qualitative descriptive design was used to explore how residents, family members and staff described how they collaborate when making decisions concerning resident care, and their perceptions of facilitators and challenges to a collaborative approach to decision‐making. Individual interviews were conducted with nine participants: residents, families and staff. Data were analysed using content and thematic analysis. Findings Four main themes that described resident, family and staff perspectives of shared decision‐making were as follows: (a) oral communication pathways for information sharing; (b) supporting resident decision‐making autonomy; (c) relational aspects of care facilitate shared decision‐making; and (d) lack of effective communication creates barriers to shared decision‐making. Conclusion As the demand for LTC continues to increase, it is crucial that healthcare providers engage in collaborative, relational practices that foster high‐quality resident care. While a relational approach to care can facilitate shared decision‐making, there are opportunities to further cultivate shared decision‐making in LTCHs through more effective communication and collaboration. Implications for practice Understanding how information is shared and decisions are made can facilitate shared decision‐making in LTCHs. The strategies identified from this study could be further co‐developed and implemented in LTCHs.