Shared Decision Making and Improving Health Care: The Answer Is Not In

Achieving health care of higher quality at lower cost has fueled policy interest in shared decision making (SDM).¹ In SDM, clinicians and patients work together to understand the patient’s situation and determine how best to address it.² Programs are in place in the United States to promote SDM using legal and financial incentives, mostly by implementing patient decision aids (PtDAs).¹ The Cochrane review³ of SDM tools for people facing treatment or screening decisions is the key evidence cited in policy statements that propose to implement, distribute, and use certified PtDAs.