Adding Value to the Oral Presentation

Abstract

The US healthcare system has a culture of overspending and overtreatment that has led to astronomical costs of care with little improvement in important health outcomes. High-value care has been proposed as a way to change this unsustainable culture. The goal of high-value care is to improve patient outcomes while decreasing unnecessary healthcare costs and harms. Medical students can learn to identify overuse and propose rational and cost-effective treatments that align with their patients’ goals and values. SOAP-V is a tool that medical students can use to add a discussion of value to their oral presentations and written notes. By addressing evidence of value, patient values, and relative cost in their case presentations, students can stimulate important high-value care conversations on rounds and in the clinic. The most effective way to discuss value is to embed it in the assessment in plan, along with guidelines, clinical trials, and other evidence to support it. Examples of SOAP-V oral presentations and two practice cases are included to reinforce the high-value care concepts discussed in this chapter.