Shared Decision Making Task Force

This Task Force has completed its work and is no longer meeting. Scroll down to learn about their accomplishments and download their resources.

About Shared Decision Making

Shared decision making is a collaborative process that allows patients and their providers to make health care decisions together, taking into account the best scientific evidence available, as well as the patient’s values and preferences.

-Informed Medical Decisions Foundation

Cancer Plan Goal

Goal #2: Prevent and detect cancer at its earliest stage.
Objective:

Increase access to informed & shared decision making for cancer screenings.

Task Force Leader

Donald B McDonah MD
Medical Director, Circle of Life/Palliative Medicine Program
St. Joseph Healthcare

Accomplishments

Shared Decision Making Workshop Attracts ChampionsThe New Hampshire Comprehensive Cancer Collaboration’s Shared Decision Making (SDM) Task Force held two workshops in 2016 that were taught by Manish Mishra, Stuart Grande, and Nan Cochran from The Dartmouth Institute’s Preference Lab. The SDM Task Force coordinated the workshops in an effort to increase access to shared decision making for cancer screenings, an objective of the NH Comprehensive Cancer Control Plan.

The workshops offered practical role play exercises, giving attendees the skills needed to implement SDM within their organizations, and help them to serve as champions. SDM is now a reimbursable component of lung cancer screening under CMS, but the skills learned can be applied to a multitude of clinical settings.

More than 50 health care professionals, including several Task Force members, participated in the workshops where 11 hospitals and 24 health care organizations were represented. Attendees were from different disciplines ranging from physicians and nurse practitioners, cancer center directors, community health workers, nurse care coordinators, social workers, navigators, and radiology nurses.

Download Participant Materials:

SDM Decision Aids

The Shared Decision Making Task Force researched decision aids that can be used to facilitate a conversation between a patient and provider, in comparing health care options to make value-based decisions. Since there are a multitude of aids available, these are intended to be a starting point only, and are not envisioned as a substitute for SDM.