When talking about complicated medical decisions we often hear phrases like “My doctor knows best.” or “I’m not the doctor, you decide.” These are understandable sentiments, yet it turns out that being an informed patient and sharing one’s hopes and expectations about surgery can have a very positive impact on the outcome of that surgery. This introduces the field of Shared Decision Making. 

Dr. Jesse Eisler and the CT Back Center or CBC are collaborating with twelve centers throughout the U.S. led by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital/Brigham. This is an ongoing Orthopedic Collaborative Study with funding from PCORI. PCORI PCORI is funded through the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Trust Fund (PCORTF), which was authorized by the United States Congress as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010[6] and reauthorized through the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020.

Examples of Decision Aids used in this research at CBC are:

Check out this link for more information: https://mghdecisionsciences.org

We look forward to working with you to improve your health by incorporating some of the features of Shared Decision Making.

Feel free to ask us any questions about this at your next office visit.

Animated Short on Shared Decision Making

Shared Decision Making: Why it Matters