Improving patient outcomes by including patient preferences in nursing care.

While preference elicitation techniques have been effective in supporting patients in their abilities to make decisions consistent with their preferences, little is known about whether information about patient preferences affects clinicians in clinical decision making and improves patient outcomes. This paper presents a study that tested the effect of eliciting elderly patients' preferences for self-care capability and providing this information to nurses in clinical practice on nurses' care priorities and patient outcomes. The study showed that information about patient preferences changed nurses' care priorities to be more consistent with patient preferences and improved patient outcomes of preference achievement and physical functioning. These results emphasize the importance of continuing to refine strategies for eliciting and integrating patient preferences into patient care as a means to improve patient outcomes.