Engaging Patients and Families in Care Decisions

Many decisions — from the small to the significant — are made at every stage of delivering patient care. At UPMC, our patient-centered approach actively involves you and your family in your care by using a process known as shared decision making. Shared decision making lets you explore your options and determine the course of care that best matches your goals and values. This is particularly important for patients — and their caregivers — with major health concerns or who need to manage a chronic or long-term condition.

• Many of our health care professionals have received special training to guide patients and their families in understanding and making decisions on the type of health care support they want to receive through advance care planning, and palliative and supportive care.
• UPMC is a forerunner among hospitals in the United States in addressing urgent concerns of our patients and their families through our Condition Help rapid response program.
• UPMC knows the importance of informed decision-making, and there are programs in place to help those who are very sick make decisions that they, or family members with the patient’s permission, are comfortable with.

By involving you and your family in care decisions, UPMC strives to deliver the best possible care you want to receive at every stage of your health care journey.