Twelve Tips for teaching shared decision making

Abstract

Shared decision making (SDM) is a process in which preference-sensitive decisions are discussed with patients in a collaborative and accessible format so that patients can select an option that integrates their values and preferences into the context of evidence-based medicine. While SDM has been shown to improve some metrics of quality of care and is now included in many competencies developed by accreditation bodies, it can be challenging to successfully incorporate competencies in SDM into clinical teaching. Multiple interventions and curricula that build competency in SDM have been published, but here we aim to suggest ways to integrate teaching competencies in SDM into all forms of clinical teaching. These twelve tips provide strategies to foster trainee development of the relational and risk-benefit communication competencies that are required for successful shared decision making.

Keywords:

• Decision-making
• communication skills
• PDAs

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflict of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Matthew Zegarek

Matthew Zegarek, MD is an assistant professor in the section of General Internal Medicine at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, CT. He is a clinician educator and primary care physician at VA Connecticut Healthcare System in West Haven, CT.

Rebecca Brienza

Rebecca Brienza, MD, MPH is an associate professor in the section of General Internal Medicine at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, CT and Director of the VA Connecticut Center of Education in Interprofessional Primary Care in West Haven, CT.

Noel Quinn

Noel Quinn, PhD is a clinical psychologist within the VA Connecticut Healthcare System and serves as an interprofessional clinician educator and communication coach. She has advanced competencies in Clinical Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine.