The limits of shared decision making

The foundation of shared decision making (SDM) is the view that people should be aware of relevant choices, and that their personal views, priorities and preferences are relevant factors when determining action. The degree to which people wish to engage in decisions will vary, as will the level to which they will be made aware that decisions exist, or become informed about the relevant information.1 There is increasing interest in SDM, an ethical imperative,2 and supporting evidence that well-designed tools help people compare options and make more informed choices.3 We as authors, are strong advocates of SDM, and think the approach can be applied widely, perhaps more widely than many health professionals think possible.4 5 Nevertheless we have identified situations where we consider there to be clear limits to SDM, where wider interests can override the priority given to...

Source: Evidence-Based Medicine - July 21, 2023 Category: Internal Medicine Authors: Elwyn, G., Price, A., Franco, J. V. A., Gulbrandsen, P. Tags: Open access EBM analysis Source Type: research