You and I Together
Shared decision making is a practice in which a person receiving care and a person providing care work jointly to make decisions.
It brings together the expertise and experience of both, enabling each to understand what is important when choosing a course of action.
By working together, we make the best treatment and care decisions for each individual.
A person may choose to include their family, carer or advocate in the conversation to build a shared understanding of what is important to them and help with the decisions to be made.
The following information is aimed at the general public and staff who work with patients, clients and service users. The content has been developed in partnership with service users, charities and health and social care organisations.
The research tells us that if decision making is shared, people are more likely to:
Understand what is involved in any decision
Have thought through what is important
Feel supported and empowered to make choices about care
Follow the agreed treatment or care plan
Have confidence and manage care better
Improve health behaviours
Make best use of available services
