Overview on the development and application of the key concepts for decision-making in health care

The volume of information about medical interventions has grown exponentially in recent decades. The increasing involvement of patients in decision-making creates a scenario in which they can constantly interact with multiple sources of information that can be correct, incorrect or misleading. In this context, promoting knowledge dissemination through reliable sources and fostering health literacy among the general population is crucial. The Informed Health Choices project aims to generate resources that can help individuals cultivate critical thinking about health interventions, thereby reducing unnecessary harm and financial costs. The Key Concepts of Informed Health Choices serve as the foundation for creating these resources. This is a list of principles potentially relevant for people without formal training in health topics to assess the reliability of the information about interventions. Resources based on these Key Concepts have been tested on primary and secondary school students in Africa, showing positive results in the short- and medium-term. This initiative is not free from limitations or considerations concerning its applicability but sheds light on how to face the new challenges that health education brings in times of . This article aims to contextualize the current scenario of health information and to introduce the Key Concepts for making informed health choices and the resources created based on them.The text is part of a methodological series on clinical epidemiology, biostatistics and research methodology conducted by the Evidence-based Medicine team at the School of Medicine of the University of Valparaíso, Chile.