title: Family involvement in medical decision-making: Perceptions of nursing and psychology students.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Family members often rely on health care professionals to guide and support them through the decision-making process. Although family involvement in medical decisions should be included in the preservice curriculum for the health care professions, perceptions of students in caring professions on family involvement in medical decision-making have not yet been examined.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To examine the perceptions of nursing and psychology students on family involvement in medical decision-making for seriously ill patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  A descriptive cross-sectional design was used.
  
  
  METHODS
  First year undergraduate nursing and psychology students studying for their Bachelor of Arts degree were recruited.
  
  
  METHODS
  Perceptions were assessed with a questionnaire constructed based on the Multi-Attribute Utility Theory (MAUT), which examines decision-maker preferences. The questionnaire consisted of two parts referring to the respondent once as the patient and then as the family caregiver.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Questionnaires were completed by 116 nursing students and 156 psychology students. Most were of the opinion that family involvement in decision-making is appropriate, especially when the patient is incapable of making decisions. Nursing students were more inclined than psychology students to think that financial, emotional, and value-based considerations should be part of the family's involvement in decision-making. Both groups of students perceived the emotional consideration as most acceptable, whereas the financial consideration was considered the least acceptable.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Nursing and psychology students perceive family involvement in medical decision-making as appropriate. In order to train students to support families in the process of decision-making, further research should examine Shared Decision-Making (SDM) programs, which involve patient and clinician collaboration in health care decisions.
authors.affiliation: Nursing Department, School of Health Professions, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel. Electronic address: itzhakim@post.tau.ac.il.
authors.forename: Michal
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Itzhaki
authors.affiliation: School of Law and Health Systems Administration Program, Peres Academic Center, Rehovot, Israel.
authors.forename: Galya
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hildesheimer
authors.affiliation: Nursing Department, School of Health Professions, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Sivia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Barnoy
authors.affiliation: Department of Counseling and Human Development, Faculty of Education, Haifa University, Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Katz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000066491:Clinical Decision-Making; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003479:Curriculum; D003657:Decision Making; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010358:Patient Participation / Q000523:psychology; D011584:Psychology; D013338:Students, Nursing / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Decision-making; Family involvement; Nursing students; Psychology students; Shared Decision-Making