Shared Decision-Making for Children with Medical Complexity and Their Caregivers in the Perioperative Time

Many decisions faced by children with medical complexity during the perioperative period do not have a clear best treatment option and thus must balance the clinician's knowledge and the families' treatment preferences and values. Shared decision-making is a communication process through which providers and families can make high-quality collaborative decisions that consider the child's best interests. The objective of this article is to define the core elements of shared decision-making, discuss aspects of shared decision-making unique to children with medical complexity, and describe practical approaches to integrating these elements into clinical practice.