INTRODUCTION TO SHARED DECISION MAKING (SDM)

Shared Decision Making (SDM) is a communication strategy that engages the patient in a decision and prioritizes patient values in the decision-making process. SDM is particularly important for clinical preventive services when patients are often unaware of the benefits and potential harms of screening tests, such as cancer screening. SDM improves the clinician-patient relationship, decreases decisional conflict, and increases patient’s knowledge about the clinical situation. SDM is recognized as an important tenet of patient-centered care and is recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) as a key component in counseling women in their 40s about whether or not to obtain mammography screening for breast cancer.

This activity will guide you through a quality improvement project aimed to improve SDM knowledge, communication skills, confidence, and use of tools and resources by primary care clinicians.