Reflections on Shared Decision Making

Decisions about medical and surgical treatment can be complex-even for health care providers, who can struggle with which treatment option to offer their patients. In the current landscape of patient-centric value-based health care, the need for appropriate medical decision making to maximize treatment outcomes is evermore important. Shared decision making is a process in which clinicians and patients make decisions together using the best available evidence while accounting for the patients' values and beliefs. A patient-centered approach has been associated with improved patient satisfaction, clinical outcomes, and patient adherence to treatment. Only by taking a collaborative care approach among patients, physicians, and caregivers can we hope to deliver the best possible care and improve our outcomes for each and every patient.