Influences of participation in treatment decisions on health experience and behavior
The PaTH project investigates how different forms of patient involvement in health-related decisions influence experience and behavior. The aim is to develop evidence-based recommendations for effective, participatory and patient-centered health advice.
Project description
The PaTH project investigates how different degrees of participation in health-related decisions influence the experience and behavior of patients. The aim is to understand which forms of involvement can pave the way for effective advice and treatment - and how this process can be designed in a patient-centered way.
The importance of participatory decision-making processes is not only evident in scientific discourse, but also in current health policy and ethical developments: With the Patients' Rights Act of 2013, informed decision-making was enshrined as legally protected in Germany. In addition, in 2017, the Geneva Medical Profession was supplemented by the obligation to actively involve patients in decisions and to respect their autonomy - a central principle of medical ethics practice.
Against this background, PaTH is conducting three empirical studies to investigate how participatory decision-making processes can be designed in health advice - for example on topics such as insomnia or dementia prevention. In the studies, different forms of participation are used in order to understand their effect on health experience and behavior.
Current status:
The first two sub-studies (TS1 & TS2) have been successfully completed. Planning for TS3 is underway; the study is scheduled to start in January 2026.
Everything at a glance
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Duration
01.07.2024 - 01.07.2026 (Ongoing) -
Research area
Psychology -
Project management
M. Sc. psychologist Ronja Müller-Späth -
Acronym
PaTH (Participation, Treatment Adherence, Health)
Teilstudien
Adolf Reichwein Campus of the University of Siegen
On the one hand, the course can be held on our premises
at the University of Siegen. After arranging an individual appointment with you as a parent or guardian, we invite two families to attend consecutively. In this case, the end of the first family's appointment and the beginning of the second family's appointment overlap so that the two children only meet in front of the cameras.
After you have made an appointment, we will first send you the participation information again. We will also ask you to complete a questionnaire about your child's behavior at home in advance, for which we will provide you with an online link. All information is of course voluntary and anonymous. We will pick you up on site and discuss the test procedure with you in detail. Only then will you decide whether you and your child would like to take part in the study. If you agree, both children will meet in the camera room for about 10 to 15 minutes and can play together. With your consent, we will record this interaction. Afterwards, if your child is between three and six years old, we will carry out a few more playful activities with him or her, such as having him or her describe pictures.
Daycare centers; we come to your child
Our project team also visits day-care centers with mobile camera technology designed for young children, which is set up in a room separate from the normal activities. The advantages of conducting the study on site are that your child already knows the environment, can be accompanied by an educator and you do not have to travel to the university.
If you are interested in participating, you will receive the participation information in advance and will also have the opportunity to ask questions. Once you have handed in the signed declaration of consent at your childcare facility, we will carry out the same playful activities on site as during a visit to the Adolf Reichwein Campus and bring two children of different ages together again to observe their interaction. If you wish, you can be there as a parent, otherwise your child will be accompanied to the movie room by their teacher and then returned to their group. As a parent or guardian, you simply fill out the questionnaire from the comfort of your own home via an online link. This will take no longer than 10 to 15 minutes.
Method 3
A comprehensive knowledge graph was constructed by applying Natural Language Processing to extract and structure action steps from official medical guidelines.
