Why use the Care Companion?
In healthcare, there are many decisions that need to be made around treatment and care. Sometimes there is not a clear ‘best option’. This may be because we don’t know enough about the risks and benefits, or the options may involve ‘trade-offs’. An example of a ‘trade-off’ may be choosing between quality of life and length of life. When there is no clear ‘best option’, it is vital that patients and families are involved in decision-making, so the right treatment and care is provided, based on what matters to them.
Shared decision-making for ‘preference sensitive’ decisions is considered best practice. It is also a core component of value-based healthcare, which aims to improve the health outcomes that matter to patients relative to the resources required. Research highlights that many people with serious illness (and their carers) want to understand their condition, share what matters to them, and participate in shared decision-making. Strong evidence demonstrates the benefits of tools that support shared decision-making - patient decision aids. These benefits include improved patient (and carer) knowledge of the options and risks, understanding of what matters most, and greater involvement in the decision-making process.
Introducing the Care Companion
The Care Companion is a tool that supports people with life-limiting conditions to have honest conversations and make decisions about their treatment and care. A life-limiting condition is one that may shorten a person’s life
The tool was developed by doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, researchers, patients, carers, and a user experience designer, informed by previous research and international guidelines on patient decision aids.
The Care Companion prompts conversations about...
- Truth telling: Do you want to know about your current health condition and what might happen in the future?
- Values and preferences: What matters most to you and how will this influence your decision-making?
- Decision making: What specific decision(s) do you need to make about your treatment and care?
- Next steps: Do you need any extra information and support? What are the next steps?
Watch a short video explaining the Care Companion:
When to use the Care Companion?
The Care Companion can be used to support current treatment and care decisions. This can include any serious difficult decision where there is no ‘best option’ and may include receiving surgery, chemotherapy, renal dialysis, supportive care, or the best location to receive care (i.e., home, residential aged care facility, palliative care unit). The Care Companion can also be used by patients to decide on the treatment and care they would or wouldn’t want in the future, if they could no longer speak for themselves. This may include decisions around resuscitation and being admitted to hospital or in the intensive care unit. These decisions can be recorded in an advanced care planning document.
Is the Care Companion a legal document?
The Care Companion is not a legal document and is not intended to be used to document patients’ choices. It is a support tool that prompts conversations.
If the Care Companion is used to support decision-making around the treatment and care that patients would or wouldn’t want in the future, the decision made should be communicated via the appropriate verbal and written pathways.
If a patient or support person presents a completed copy of the Care Companion, clinicians can use this to guide their own conversations with the patient and/or support person.
Care Companion download and resources
Download the Care Companion and supporting resources.
Contact us
Email: HIU@health.qld.gov.au
