Help for health decision challenges.

Abstract

Medical care is becoming more technically challenging and community-based. The majority of patients and family health gatekeepers (the family member who regulates health care services for the family unit) are female, while the majority of physicians are male. Therefore, differences in female versus male methods of decision making add to the difficulty in making health choices. The female patient and family health gatekeeper may need new knowledge, skills and time to help them deal with difficult medical choices. They may benefit from a multidisciplinary, unbiased group of experts in the form of a Community Healthcare Committee. Trained to be responsible for the general health of the community, the primary care practitioner is ideal to take a leadership role in developing such a committee. A Community Healthcare Committee that understands different methods of health decision making could serve as a resource by providing community health education and private case reviews intended to help individuals with health care decisions.