Value-Based Practice (VBP) allows individual and cultural values to be important elements in clinical decision-making. The following chapter exemplifies the application of this approach to a patient with an alcohol use disorder within the Brazilian culture, a culture that minimizes the impact of alcohol consumption on health. By applying principles such as shared decision-making and basing choices on evidence and values, the patient increased the adherence and, consequently, the effectiveness of the proposed treatment.
<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Alcohol misuse emerges from a complex range of psychopathological experiences and personal and cultural values. For this reason, understanding the reasons why a person seeks treatment is crucial to effective care. This study aimed to identify the values which guide the decision-making process of persons seeking voluntary hospitalization for treatment for alcohol misuse, as well as the values of significant others. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> A phenomenological investigation was conducted through interviews with 25 individuals (and family members) who had voluntarily admitted themselves to a hospital in São Paulo, Brazil, with the objective of maintaining abstinence from alcohol dependence. <b><i>Results:</i></b> The main factors that determined the treatment-seeking decision were damage to social relationships and fear of illness and deterioration of the physical condition; the factors related to treatment expectations were restoring personality and awareness of morbidity; and the single factor considered most important to the success of the treatment was willpower. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> The results of this study contribute to developing strategies for bringing care closer to the patient’s perspective of the disease and encourage their active participation in the formulation of care.
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