Informed Decision Making in Outpatient Practice

Abstract

How well do physicians foster the informed participation of patients in important clinical decisions? Many clinician-authors have called for a shift toward a view of informed consent in which the emphasis is on a meaningful dialogue between physician and patient instead of a unidirectional, dutiful disclosure of alternatives, risks, and benefits by the physician.^1-4 This expanded view is termed informed decision making. Despite these calls for more sharing of decision making with patients, we know little about the extent to which patient-physician discussions of clinical decisions achieve informed patient participation.