Objectives. To explore the conceptual framework on the patient decision-making process in the context of philosophical and nursing world views. Methods. Conceptual paper discussing non-nursing philosophers and the nursing world view of Jacqueline Fawcett, Professor of Nursing; PhD, New York University. Material. An extensive database search was conducted including PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Embase. Keywords used: conceptual, patient, decision making process. The search was used to identify existing literature discussing the concept. The articles were limited to English articles only and abstracts were reviewed for relevance to the presented subject. Conclusions. Very little information exists about the conceptual ideas of patient decision making processes. The patient decision making process is dynamic and influenced by many different variables. Further research is recommended to support the presented theoretical concept.

Key words: conceptual, nursing world view, patient, decision making.