Shared decision making (SDM) involves clinicians and patients working together to select appropriate care, based on clinical evidence and the patient’s informed preferences. Despite strong political, ethical and evidential support for this approach, it has been slow to enter the mainstream of medical practice. Greater progress has been made in some countries than others. This study, conducted by the British care-researcher Dr. Angela Coulter, examined the state of SDM implementation in nine leading countries (Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Taiwan, UK and USA) with a view to identifying best practice and developing proposals for a system-wide strategy to promote wider use of SDM.
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