Clinician communication styles
PAs, NPs, and physicians described having different roles in the care of
patients undergoing ablation. Physicians conducted the pre-ablation
consults and had the most experience discussing AF and catheter
ablations with patients. They aimed to be thorough and provide as much
information as possible, encouraged patients to take time making
decisions, and involved caregivers when possible. They described
occasionally using literature and educational resources in the consults
but acknowledged the need to involve different types of resources to
support patients with decision-making. All described taking a shared
decision-making approach to these conversations: “I allow them to
decide what they need; and I help them figure that out. So, even if I
think the ablation is right, I don’t really find myself saying you need
an ablation or you need to do this. What I do is I try to just let them
reach their own conclusion…empowering them to make their own
decisions.” -Clinician 4.