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Author Archives: IMDFoundation
What Does Shared Decision Making Mean to You?
At the Informed Medical Decisions Foundation we find that the term “shared decision making” means something different to each member of our team. We thought it would be fun to share these varied meanings with you, so we asked our Foundation family to describe shared decision making in just three words. This exercise resulted in a short video with more than 20 unique definitions of shared decision making. Continue reading
Seventh International Shared Decision Making (ISDM) Conference to Bring Shared Decision Making to Global Stage
The central theme of this meeting “Globalizing SDM: Pacientes @ the centre of healthcare” has two implications. First, it suggests thinking about shared decision making more broadly, as an integral component of patient-centered care and second, it highlights the need to address health disparities so each and every person has the opportunity to be at the center of their health care. Over the course of the conference, participants will hear from experts about the various aspects of making shared decision making a global reality. These include basic science, theories and concepts, development of SDM products, implementation and sustainability, measurement and assessment, and evaluation and impact. Continue reading
Voices of Shared Decision Making with Maureen Corry
Transforming care so that shared decision making is standard practice must be a multi-stakeholder effort, with women, clinicians, hospital administrators, payers and policy makers doing their part. Childbearing women and their advocates have a critical role in demanding this kind of care. Women can “vote with their feet” by choosing providers who engage them in shared decision making and honor their right to informed choice. But they can also advocate for system changes so that shared decision making becomes the standard. Continue reading
Upcoming Stakeholder Meeting Aims to Raise Awareness of Misaligned Incentives in Health Care Reimbursement
In recent years, efforts to implement shared decision making (SDM) in routine clinical practice have advanced; however, implementation has proved challenging and numerous reports have identified misaligned incentives in health care reimbursement as a root cause. On May 23 and 24, leading researchers, providers, policy makers and payers focused on facilitating widespread implementation of shared decision making will convene in Washington, D.C. to participate in a critical discussion about how to better align incentives to foster this spread. Continue reading
An Interview with Ishani Ganguli, MD
As part of the first-ever Shared Decision Making Month this past March, the Informed Medical Decisions Foundation interviewed Dr. Ishani Ganguli, a second-year resident at Massachusetts General Hospital’s own primary care innovation, the Ambulatory Practice of the Future (APF) and Short White Coat blogger. The APF focuses on empowering patients to be more engaged and involved in their health care by placing the patient at the very center of the care team. Ishani was drawn to APFs model of innovation and desire to understand the whole patient over a period of time. During our conversation with Ishani, we will hear how the APF is changing the future of primary care through technology, space and processes, and how shared decision making plays a role at the practice. Continue reading
American College of Physicians Endorses Shared Decision Making Approach for Prostate Cancer Screening
In a guidance statement published Tuesday in the Annals of Internal Medicine, the American College of Physicians (ACP) joined the heated discussion on PSA testing by endorsing a shared decision making approach for prostate cancer screening. The ACP Clinical Guidelines Committee developed this guidance statement after reviewing current guidelines on prostate cancer screening in the U.S.
To this end, a shared decision making approach is appropriate for decisions about prostate cancer screening due to the preference-sensitive nature of the decision. We believe it is imperative that patient preferences be incorporated in the decision-making process and applaud the ACP for supporting a shared decision making approach for decisions about prostate cancer screening. By having an informed conversation about a diagnostic tool and disease that is often poorly understood, men can feel confident that they’ve made the decision that’s right for them. Continue reading
Shared Decision Making Month Contributor Spotlight: Diana Stilwell
Diana is chief production officer at the Informed Medical Decisions Foundation where she oversees all aspects of the Foundation’s role in Shared Decision-Making® program production and ongoing clinical review of health coaching resources with Health Dialog. She is also responsible for the Foundation’s independent production initiatives. In collaboration with our medical editors and clinical advisors, her team ensures the accuracy of the clinical evidence included in all Foundation materials. Before joining the Foundation, she was executive editor of the New England Journal of Medicine’s Weekly Briefings and managing editor of the Healthwise Handbook, Healthwise for Life, and the Healthwise Knowledgebase™. Diana holds BS and MPH degrees from the University of Michigan. Continue reading
The Veterans Administration Makes Shared Decision Making Resources Available to Help with Long Term Care Choices
Being informed and involved in medical decisions about long term care choices is critically important for older patients. The Guide to Long Term Care is now the core of the Veterans Administration’s Geriatrics and Extended Care website, partly in response to the needs of the growing number of aging Veterans – of the nation’s 23 million Veterans, almost half are over 65. Continue reading
Shared Decision Making Month Contributor Spotlight: Victoria Shaffer
Victoria received her PhD in quantitative psychology from Ohio State University in 2005, with an emphasis in decision science. She is currently assistant professor at the University of Missouri. She holds a joint appointment in the department of health sciences, in the school of health professions and in the department of psychological sciences, in the college of arts and sciences. Broadly, her research focuses on applying decision psychology and behavioral economics to inform medical decision making. Recent work has examined the impact of patient stories in health communications. Continue reading
Shared Decision Making Month Contributor Spotlight: Alicia Staley
Alicia works as a community manager at The HIT Community, a start-up company based in Wakefield, MA. She contributes to the User’s View Blog providing her perspective on health information technology and social media issues facing patients and healthcare workers in today’s rapidly changing healthcare industry. With an engineering background and MBA/MS degrees in information systems, Alicia applies her technical knowledge in creative ways to bring different healthcare communities together to leverage knowledge, solutions, and support in efficient, effective ways. Continue reading
