AP's Lauran Neergaard wrote a good story about the shared decision-making focus of last week's Foundation for Informed Medical Decision Making (FIMDM) Policy & Research Forum in Washington, DC.
Excerpt:
A new University of Michigan study of how 3,000 patients made common medical choices suggests patients frequently have misinformation. Fewer than one in five could name the most common side effect of cholesterol-lowering statin drugs they were considering, for example. Moreover, patients said their doctors discussed treatment advantages more than the disadvantages.
As promised, I'll blog more about this Forum when I get the chance. Fascinating data worthy of more attention.
For now, you should go to the FIMDM website, and click on the middle section labeled, "Transforming the Patient Experience: Four stories of informed decision-making." The video available there is a terrific demonstration of shared decision-making through the words of four actual patient examples. Watch the video. It's time well spent.
