Korean J Med Ethics.  2015 Jun;18(2):200-216.

Implications of Decision Coaching in Shared Decision Making

• LEE EY

Abstract

In shared decision-making, patients and physicians work together as decision-making partners. To overcome the imbalance of medical knowledge between physicians and patients and to assist patients in the shared decision-making process, patient decision aids (PtDAs) have been proposed. PtDAs improve patients’ knowledge, enhance their accurate perception of risks, help them achieve choices that match their values, and stimulate them to become more actively involved in the decision-making process. Nevertheless, many studies have reported that patients have difficulty in fully participating in shared-decision making. This in turn gives rise to the need for medical decision coaching, which aims to develop patients' confidence and skills in deliberating about options and helps to prepare them for making decisions with their practitioners. Medical decision coaching is provided by trained individuals, and the coach’s role has been described as that of a medical decision counsellor, educator, navigator, and facilitator. In this article, I describe a framework for medical decision coaching to support shared decisions. Additionally I discuss the implications of medical decision coaching in Korean society.

Keyword

shared decision-making; medical counselling; medical decision coaching; medical decisions; patient decision aids; patient participation