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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 on this background, a historical overview of the range of assumptions and theories underlying the multiple perspectives for considering shared decision making is provided. Finally, the entry highlights various international efforts in the field of shared decision making.

Process

Shared decision making has been defined as an iterative process that educates patients about their healthcare options while facilitating the incorporation of their personal values into medical treatment planning. It may occur in a single conversation between a patient and physician or over multiple visits with a team of healthcare professionals. Patients may choose to include their spouse, family members, friends, clergy, or a legally appointed guardian in their decision-making discussions.

During the process, clinicians may use decision support tools such as patient decision aids. Different from patient education materials, which are used to help patients understand what's involved in undergoing a recommended therapeutic intervention, decision aids are specifically designed to help patients understand and choose between two or more equally relevant options. They do this by providing patients with information about each option's possible benefits, the potential risk of side effects, and the trade-offs between the uncertainties inherent in each option. They also help patients understand that the selection of a particular option is dependent on their informed preferences toward these benefits, risks, and trade-offs. Decision support tools may be as simple as a brochure, as visually engaging as a video, or as complex as an interactive Web site that individually tailors medical information based on a patient's health characteristics. While decision aids by themselves do not constitute full shared decision making, they provide accurate medical information, assistance with the decision-making process, and one type of standardized strategy for introducing the steps of shared decision making into clinical care routines.

Original Context

Shared decision making was developed for medical decisions that were considered “preference sensitive.” Therapeutic actions may be categorized according to the following: (a) the extent to which the scientific evidence about an intervention's clinical effectiveness is clear or not; (b) the ratio between an intervention's potential benefits and harms; and (c) the degree of congruence among patients and clinicians about the desirability or undesirability of those trade-offs. Effective care denotes the category of interventions for which there is clear evidence, a high ratio of benefits over harms, and high agreement among clinicians and patients about which is the best therapy. Examples include insulin for diabetes, aspirin and beta blockers for heart attacks, and emergency care for a gunshot wound.

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