Patient Decision Aids from National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)
Shared decision making explained
You have the right to be involved in making choices about your medical treatment, the medicines you take and any operations you have.
Shared decision making is when health professionals and patients work together to make these choices.
You need to know what your options are and what might happen if you choose a certain treatment or also if you decide not to have it. Do remember that not having a treatment is almost always an option.
Your doctor should explain what might work for you. Some options might not be suitable. Read more on Shared decision making here.
In 2023, NICE were commissioned by NHS England to develop a range of Patient Decision Aids (also called Decision Support Tools) on a range of topics, which included:
- Stable angina: management NICE IFP
- Chronic pain (primary and secondary) in over 16s NICE IFP
- Depression in adults NICE IFP
- Osteoarthritis in over 16s NICE IFP
- Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) NICE IFP
- Glue ear NICE IFP
The aim of a decision aid is to help people facing a decision about treatment or care options (and their family and carers, as appropriate) make an informed choice based on which of the different options’ advantages and disadvantages matter most to them.