Shared decision making is the conversation that happens between a patient and their health professional to reach a healthcare choice together. This conversation needs patients and professionals to understand what is important to the other person when choosing a treatment.
- Health professionals give patients information about all the treatment options for the health problem. Health professionalsalso give information about an option that is medically better for a person based on the patient’s personal medicalhistory and test results.
- Patients give professionals information their life and experiences of illness and treatment. Patients have views thatone treatment option may fit better in their life than another. This view about a treatment may be different from themedically best treatment.
- The shared decision making conversation needs both the patient and professional to understand the other’s point ofview and agree the reasons why the treatment chosen was the best one for the patient. The reason may be that it was thebest medical option or it was the best option for that patient’s life.