Five step process for implementing decision aids in clinical practice (see http://decisionaid.ohri.ca/implement.html)
| Step | Examples of specific activities to be conducted |
|---|---|
| (1) To assess patients' and practitioners' information and decision making needs | Conduct a needs assessment to identify patients' and practitioners' perception of patients' decision making needs |
| Survey practitioners to determine barriers and facilitators to providing decision support to patients and sharing decisions with patients | |
| (2) To review patient decision support tools | Audit the quality of patient education resources currently used within the practice |
| Review the inventory of patient decision aids maintained by the Patient Decision Aids Research Group (http://decisionaid.ohri.ca/AZinvent.php) | |
| Consider using a generic worksheet if the above inventory does not include the desired patient decision aid (http://decisionaid.ohri.ca/decguide.html) | |
| (3) To offer practitioners education and training | Access the Ottawa Decision Support Tutorial, an online tutorial designed to help practitioners develop skills in providing decision support to patient and engaging patients' decision making (https://decisionaid.ohri.ca/ODST/index.php) |
| Register to a training programme in SDM | |
| Embed training in patient decision support and SDM as a thread across a curriculum for health professionals (http://decisionaid.ohri.ca/docs/implement/PtDS_Curriculum.pdf) | |
| (4) To implement patient decision support tools using strategies tailored to the practice setting | Assess the gap between the patients' identified decision making needs and current practice |
| Engage health professionals to identify needed resources and strategies to address barriers | |
| Embed patient decision support tools within care pathways | |
| Ensure organisational mandate includes supporting patients to be engaged in decision making and self-care | |
| Increase patients' and family members' awareness of resources | |
| Link health information resources to electronic health records to ease documentation and flag relevant resources ‘just in time’ | |
| (5) To monitor the quality of the decision support provided | Assess decision quality (http://www.informedmedicaldecisions.org/quality_initiative.html) |
SDM, shared decision making.