Which practice best promotes collaborative decision-making?

• A. Involve the patient and family in decisions
• B. Make decisions unilaterally
• C. Avoid discussing risks
• D. Exclude the patient from the discussion

Answer: (A)

Collaborative decision-making is achieved when the patient and family actively participate in care decisions, with the care team sharing information, exploring values, and negotiating a plan that aligns with the patient’s goals. In critical care, involving the patient and family ensures decisions reflect what matters most to the patient, supports informed choices, and helps navigate complex trade-offs with transparency and trust. This approach promotes autonomy, aligns treatment with preferences, and can improve satisfaction and adherence to the plan.

Choosing to involve the patient and family stands in contrast to making decisions unilaterally, which strips the patient of input and may misalign care with their values; avoiding discussions of risks deprives them of essential information needed to weigh options; and excluding the patient from discussion damages trust and disrespects autonomy.