Shared decision making in rheumatology: A scoping review

Shared decision making is a collaborative process where patients and clinicians work together to understand the patient's situation and to determine how best to address it. While shared decision making offers benefits for patients and clinicians, shared decision making use across the field of rheumatology has not been previously described.

To perform a scoping review of research on shared decision making in rheumatology METHODS: We analyzed literature on shared decision making in rheumatology from Ovid MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Sciverse Scopus, EBM Reviews, and PsycARTICLES.

Of 3191 articles screened, 63 studies were included for analysis. Shared decision making in rheumatology improves patient satisfaction and adherence to treatment plans. We identified 13 patient decision aids from the studies and discussed the process of evaluating patient decision aids and shared decision making outcomes. The most important factors for decision making were understanding benefits versus side effects, medication logistics, and cost. Decision making conversations are affected by age, race, socioeconomic status, gender, health literacy, and language proficiency. Barriers to shared decision making include time constraints and training.

Our review identified 63 studies of shared decision making in rheumatology, including 13 studies of patient decision aids. Future areas of research include identifying tools for shared decision making, understanding social and cultural factors, and improving equity in shared decision making practices. By improving shared decision making practices in rheumatology, we can strive to improve patient experience, satisfaction, trust, and enhance outcomes for all.