Shared decision making in health care settings: a role for social work

Shared decision making (SDM) is a process integral to social work practice, one where the provider/professional and the consumer/patient discuss treatment alternatives based on patient values and life circumstances and make a shared decision about whether and how to proceed with treatment. Evidence-based medicine suggests that for many health conditions, having the choice of several effective treatment options is not uncommon. In these cases treatment should be based on what is best for the individual, since many factors influence an individual's treatment preference, including the psychological, social, cultural, and spiritual history she/he brings to the medical encounter; a history that has long been ignored in somatic health care. This article develops the argument that medical social workers possess the professional knowledge and skill base to provide decisional coaching, and implementing SDM in primary care settings. Of particular importance are the values that guide professional social work practice, including client self-determination, which is the basis of SDM, and the ability to maintain neutrality.