Shared Decision Making

The term shared decision making traditionally refers to the communication between a patient and a clinician as they consider a medical decision that involves a choice between two or more clinically reasonable options. These discussions involve exchanging information about medical evidence, about personal values, and about which course of action would be most consistent with patients' preferences once they are informed about the tradeoffs among the risks and benefits of each therapy. This entry outlines the process of shared decision making, the context in which it was originally developed, the roles involved, and the motivations that lead to implementation and research in clinical care. Next, this entry outlines some newly emerging contexts in which the principles of shared decision making have recently been suggested. Based ...