About Patient Decision Aids and Shared Decision Making

Patient Decision Aids are tools to help patients and doctors make difficult healthcare decisions together. These tools help to balance clinical evidence with your values, interests, and expertise about your own health condition. Understanding your experience of your health condition is important in helping make the best choice.

Shared decision making happens when doctors and patients talk about healthcare options and make a healthcare decision together. The best decisions are made when patients and doctors understand what the other finds important when making a healthcare choice.