Shared Decision Making: Skills for Clinical Practice | Harvard University

Shared decision making (SDM) is an approach to involving patients in medical decisions that is appropriate when clinical evidence supports more than one approach to care. To be skilled in SDM, clinicians must be competent and confident in providing patients with evidence-based information about treatment options and outcomes and explore patient goals and preferences in order to determine the best treatment for each patient.

This online activity will highlight the main gaps and challenges to engaging patients in shared decision making and demonstrate practical strategies to overcome those challenges in conversations with patients. Participants will learn how to use SDM in clinical practice to improve their ability to communicate risks and benefits to patients, to communicate the likelihood and probability of risks and benefits of tests and treatments and their ability to elicit patient preferences.

This HMS CME Online course is targeted to nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, primary care physicians and specialty care physicians.

Select the Take Course button to view additional information on the course registration page.