Decision Making

If you were stuck on an island, would you want food or your phone? This is a form of decision-making. At that moment, you think about picking food, but then you think about life without your phone. You get confused for a while and, ultimately, cannot make a proper decision. Decision-making is a process of making choices while evaluating your alternate options. The importance of decision-making lies within yourself. Every decision becomes a part of you because life is full of decisions. Healthcare, specifically, is a field full of decisions. Making the right ones are in your hands. The DECIDE model is the acronym for 6 particular activities needed in the decision-making process. This process can allow you to assess your decision while efficiently identifying the right one.

The first step is to define the problem. The problem is whether you want food or your phone on the island. You need to understand the situation properly. You are stuck on an island lacking food and technology. That would define the problem. Circling back to healthcare, when a patient comes in sick, you would define the symptoms and what brought them in. Before making any decisions, it is important to understand everything presented in front of you.

The second step is to establish the criteria. The reason for establishing criteria is to ensure that the selected alternatives are selected for a specific reason. When stranded on the island, you want to ask yourself what you want to achieve, avoid, and preserve in your decision. Establishing the criteria can limit your alternatives. In healthcare, specifying the requirements can help narrow the diagnosis before diagnosing properly.

The third step is to consider all the alternatives. Once you establish your criteria, the other options are picked. So then you ask yourself why you picked these alternatives for the situation. When stranded on an island, you choose a phone and food. These are appropriate for the situation because you may need a phone to call for help, but food will help you survive. So these choices must be evaluated thoroughly to ensure they match your criteria.

The fourth step is to identify the best alternative. Once all the other options have been listed and you have evaluated each to see if they match your criteria, it is time to decide. On the island, having a phone to make an emergency call is best. An emergency call would go through, increasing your chances of getting home. So after considering the alternatives, you identified that a phone is the best option.

The fifth step is to develop and implement a plan of action. So now that a decision has been made, how will you execute it? Who will you call now that you have decided to use your phone? When are you going to call? A decision is not just about making a choice and letting it go; it is about making a choice and what to do with it next. In healthcare, once a selection is made, it is important to develop an action plan to see what resources can be allocated for that decision or should another choice be evaluated.

The sixth step is to evaluate and monitor the solution. After a thorough plan has been made, you now execute it. It is important to monitor the progress of the situation. After a phone call has been made, you don’t want to forget about it. You are still trying to get off the island, so you must follow up with the phone calls. In healthcare, once a patient has undergone treatment, you must monitor their progress. It is vital to the patient's health to ensure they are getting better. If the plan is not working, you can choose an alternative route.

Decision-making seems easy but can be difficult when put to the test. Our example of being stuck on a stranded island shows that deciding in the moment can be hard. Knowing this process can help you at the right times. Each of us can eventually make a decision, but we always question ourselves against it. I am guilty of switching back and forth, but I can make one beneficial decision with this process. The DECIDE model is intended as a resource for healthcare managers when applying the crucial components of decision-making, and it enables managers to improve their decision-making skills, which leads to more effective decisions. This method is most useful in healthcare. Healthcare is all about decisions, and one step can impact a patient. This process was made so that each choice was made calmly and with care.

All in all, life is full of decision-making. Whether you decide to go to your HOSA conferences or skip them for another event, you are in charge of each step. Each step will impact your life. Remember to use the DECIDE method to decide on going to the Indiana HOSA conferences. Whether you choose to go or not, the choice is yours.