Audiovisual Decision Making Essay

In aging patients with severe illnesses, conversation guides and condensed videos can enhance dialogue regarding end-of-life decisions on care between them and clinicians. Research has revealed that in seriously ill aging patients, good communication with clinicians is linked to improved goal-consistent care, increased/enriched quality of life, increased contentment of patients, further and timelier hospital care, better coping on the part of the patient and his/her family, lessened obligation of decision-making for families, and improved grief outcomes. However, research has also shown that many terminally sick (old-age) patients do not engage in timely dialogues regarding their goals, and often, the talks that do take place are deficient.
305). Films enhance communication past the typical ad hoc oral approaches to planning as regards advanced care via provision of practical and standardized descriptions of treatment alternatives. Audiovisual decision tools for planning in regard to advanced care have not been explored in the post-acute care setting whereby often, at-risk aging patients have to make serious decisions regarding treatment alternatives.
At that, my tool of choice is a series of brief videos; a condensed video that will educate the aging patient on end-of-life care and empower him/her to request for their preferred care. The nine-minute educational film will depict 3 levels of therapeutic care: life-extending care involving ventilation and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR); primary care without CPR but with hospitalization; and relief care providing symptom alleviation, e.g. analgesics and oxygen. The patient will be provided with visual descriptions of each of the aforementioned categories of