Shared decision making after severe stroke- how can we improve patient and family involvement in treatment decisions?

Shared decision making after severe stroke- how can we improve patient and family involvement in treatment decisions?

Akila Visvanathan from The University of Edinburgh, Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences

You have probably heard someone say, at least once in your lifetime that they would rather die than attempt to live after a severe stroke, which could leave them permanently disabled. But when survivors of severe stroke and serious disability are asked that question after the event they inevitably say they are happy to have survived! Many routine treatments provided after an acute stroke (e.g. feeding via a tube) increase survival, but with disability. So we know that clinicians need to support patients and families in making informed decisions about the use of these treatments, and this is a process termed ‘shared decision-making.

I’m Carmen Lahiff-Jenkins, Managing Editor of the International Journal of Stroke, and I spoke to first author Akila Visvanathan, of the paper ‘Shared decision making after severe stroke- how can we improve patient and family involvement in treatment decisions’ published in the International Journal of Stroke.