How is shared decision-making different from informed consent?
In shared decision-making and informed consent, you get information about treatment, and you get to make the final decision about whether you want treatment. But shared decision-making takes informed consent a step further, giving the patient more responsibility. Shared decision-making is a newer way of talking about treatment and treatment decisions, and a few doctors are using it. It works like this: the doctor gives the patient information about the pros and cons of all the treatment options, including no treatment. This often involves “homework” for the patient, such as reading, looking at DVDs, or sifting through other types of information. The patient tells the doctor about factors (preferences, problems, home conditions, etc.) that might make each treatment option better or worse than the others. The patient and doctor then make the decision together about which treatment is best for the patient. Or they may decide on something else, such as waiting for further developments, bef
