Skip to main content

Shared decision-making in healthcare

Updated Monday, 8 June 2026

This ‘research informed’ training resource is designed to support you, and your team, to reflect on how shared decision-making ‘happens’ in your planned care pathways. An animation, reflection guide and practical tools will help you to ‘refresh’ your understanding of shared decision-making and think about practical steps you can apply in your planned care pathways.    

Find out more about The Open University's Health and Social Care courses and qualifications.

What is shared decision-making?

Shared decision-making is a two-way conversation between patients and health and social care professionals. It is a process not a ‘one-off’ event. It involves exploring choices, comparing the options, and deciding together on a course of action

The goal is to reach a decision informed by the best available evidence and aligned with what matters most to the patient.

Why reflect on shared decision-making?

Shared decision-making is not a new concept. It is something you ‘sign up to’ as a registered health and social care professional. It is a key part of good clinical practice and outlined in clinical guidance by the General Medical Council and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). However, not everyone can access ‘refresher’ training about the key steps involved.

Because decision support is embedded into everyday practice it can be easy to assume that it is happening. Taking time to reflect can help you and your team to think about how shared decision-making ‘happens’ in your care pathway to identify examples of best practice as well as potential improvements. 

Shared decision-making animation and reflection guide

This short 4-minute animation introduces the three key steps of shared decision-making and is designed as a ‘refresher’ for health professionals.

After watching the animation, use the reflection guide to consider how shared decision-making happens in your own practice, either individually or as part of a team discussion.

PDF document Shared Decision-Making in Practice Reflection Guide 601.0 KB

The guide supports reflection across the three key stages:

  1. Conversations about choices
  2. Comparing options
  3. Deciding together

Shared Decision-Making Toolkit for Elective Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI)

This toolkit provides recommendations and resources to support cardiology teams to strengthen shared decision-making across the elective PCI pathway. It is designed for cardiology teams managing patients who present with exertional angina with suspected or diagnosed obstructive coronary disease. Please email [to add] for queries about the toolkit resources.

  1. PDF document Shared Decision-Making in Practice Reflection Guide 601.0 KB
  2. SDM Toolkit Quick Reference Guide
  3. Easy Read Patient Decision Aid for Angina
  4. Case Study-Implementing Easy Read Patient Decision Aid
  5. Top Tips for Implementing Patient Decision Aids
  6. Elective PCI care pathway examples
  7. Patient Information Quality Checklist (PDF document126.2 KB)
  8. Shared Decision-Making Dialogue Prompts
  9. Service Evaluation Template
  10. Flowchart for Involving Patients in Service Design

 

Help Us to Help You

We are keen to understand how these resources are being used in practice and how they can be improved to better support shared decision-making.

Please complete this anonymous short 4-question survey to share your feedback.

Our research

The resources on this page have been informed by research:

     Verghese, Hannah; Harris, Emma; O'Connor, Tom and Astin, Felicity (2026). Optimising shared decision-making in the chronic angina care pathway. The Patients Association & The Open University. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21954/ou.ro.00109289

     Harris, Emma; Benham, Alex; Stephenson, John; Conway, Dwayne; Chong, Aun-Yeong; Curtis, Helen and Astin, Felicity (2024). Patient Decision Aids for Aortic Stenosis and Chronic Coronary Artery Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, 23(6) pp. 561–581. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/eurjcn/zvad138

 

 

 

Become an OU student

Author

Ratings & Comments

Share this free course

Copyright information

Skip Rate and Review

Rate and Review

For further information, take a look at our frequently asked questions which may give you the support you need.

Have a question?