Shared decision making in gastroesophageal reflux disease management and the power of effective communication,...

Patient-healthcare provider communication is optimized when patients' goals, preferences, and values are at the forefront of the communication. Traditional communication styles, however, often meant providers unilaterally made medical decisions without the cooperation of patients' preferences into medical decision making. This communication style in which patients are at the center of decision making and actively partake and think about their care is referred to as shared decision making. Engaging in shared decision making requires the provider to seek the patients' goals, preferences, and values from the beginning, before presenting treatment options, particularly in gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) management. Therefore the 'one size fits all' approach no longer applies when applying shared decision making. We aim to present three key elements when applying shared decision making in GERD clinical management, with the emphasis on: (1) effective communication, (2) patient autonomy, and (3) customized approach.