Realistic Conversations: Shared Decision Making in Practice

All clinicians in Scotland are asked to practice “Realistic Medicine” including talking about risks, benefits and limitations of treatment and care options.  This one-day interactive workshop for Doctors, Senior Nurses and other AHPs (Band 6+), will support participants to have realistic conversations about care. Helping patients to feel empowered to discuss their treatment options fully and be at the centre of decisions about their care.

Open to staff from all health boards 

Participants will work in a small peer group to address the challenges around shared decision making. Working together they will practice more effective ways to:
• Communicate information about risk clearly and effectively with a wide range of patients and families.
• Communicate the benefits and limitations of treatment in a balanced way.
• Manage patients and families who have unrealistic expectations of treatment and outcomes.
• Use decision aids to support effective communication and complex shared decision-making.
• Respond to complaints about clinical decision-making and consent.

Learning outcomes

• Review current practice in communication about treatment related decision-making and consent
• Describe and communicate information about risk clearly and effectively
• Discuss treatment options, benefits and limitations, taking a person-centred perspective
• Respond to people with unrealistic expectations of treatment and outcomes
• Use decision aids to support effective communication and shared decision-making
• Respond to complaints about decision-making and consent