title: [Patient involvement in medical decision making].
abstract: "Respect for autonomy", the primary principle of bioethics, is the basis of the process of informed consent. It is the responsibility of medical professionals to provide information when patients are involved in medical situations and decision making. However, many factors can potentially interfere with patient willingness to participate in decision making processes. This article organizes and discusses present knowledge on such factors. A thorough literature review was conducted to identify factors in terms of three aspects: interaction between health professionals and patients, family involvement, and patient characteristics. Patient involvement in medical decision making is a very complex issue. During the medical decision making process, health professionals must be aware of the social-cultural context of patients in order to create an environment in which patients feel comfortable to make decisions freely.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Allied Health Sciences, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Mei-Ling
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Lily
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yeh
authors.forename: Ching-Huey
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D003657:Decision Making / Q000941:ethics*; D006801:Humans; D010358:Patient Participation; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations