The Informed Medical Decisions Foundation (previously known as the Foundation for Informed Medical Decision Making) has been working for over two decades to advance evidence-based shared decision making through research, policy, clinical models and patient decision aids. We are a Boston-based organization with a network of medical editors and clinical advisors from some of the most prestigious medical institutions in the world.
Our Mission
To Inform and Amplify the Patient’s Voice in Health Care Decisions
This means all patients should:
- Be supported and encouraged to participate in their health care decisions.
- Be fully informed about their care options using accurate, unbiased and understandable information.
- Have their personal goals and concerns honored.
We believe that the only way to ensure high quality medical decisions are made is for a fully informed patient to participate in a shared decision making process with his/her health care provider.
Our Focus
Developing High Quality Decision Aids
We collaborate with our partners to create decision support tools that are unbiased and evidence-based. These decision aids help facilitate the shared decision making process between the patient and the provider. They are created, evaluated and updated using the highest level of medical rigor, and are systematically reviewed by both physicians and patients in every step of the development process (PDF 774 kb) before they are released. They are designed not only to be accurate and unbiased, but to explain complex medical concepts in an easy-to-understand manner.
Funding Research and Shared Decision Making Demonstration Sites
By funding research projects and shared decision making demonstration sites, we foster a greater understanding of the many benefits of shared decision making and help providers learn how to best use this process in the clinical setting. Each year we sponsor various grants, fellowships and other research initiatives that we believe will expand our current knowledge on shared decision making and will lead to improved health care delivery – for both the patient and the provider.
Advancing Our Mission through Outreach and Advocacy
Shared decision making implementation is receiving increased attention from health policy makers as providers, purchasers and regulators explore opportunities to integrate patient-centered concepts into standards of care for clinical practice. Through outreach and education we assist those interested in crafting and implementing shared decision making policies at both the state and federal level.
