News Release

How do patients choose the best treatment for their disease?

Research published by SAGE in special issue of Medical Decision Making

Peer-Reviewed Publication

SAGE

The diagnosis has come in, and it’s not good. Worse, the patient has to choose from treatment options that are sometimes contradictory and risky. None of them promises complete success. How do patients make an informed decision, choosing the very best treatment for their own healthcare?

These questions are addressed in the September/October 2007 special issue of Medical Decision Making (MDM) about the future of shared decision-making. The issue, published on behalf of the Society for Medical Decision Making by SAGE features new research articles, systematic reviews of the state of the science, and other perspectives. Some of the articles summarize past research on decision aids and communicating about risk, others describe new approaches and best practices for assessing and conveying risk information, and several suggest new paths for future research.

“For more than two decades, Medical Decision Making has published research about patients choosing therapies that are consistent with their preferences,” writes MDM editor Mark Helfand in his editorial highlighting the issue’s articles. “Today, all sectors of the health care system—providers, payers, advocacy and consumer groups, industry, the lay press, and government—recognize that improvements in decision making are urgently needed and the research and recommendations described in this issue address practical ways to improve decision-making processes.”

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On behalf of the Society for Medical Decision Making, SAGE Publications has made the articles in this special issue available to interested parties free-of-charge through late November.

Please visit http://www.sagepublications.com/promos/Sep_Oct_Announcement.pdf to access the articles.

About Society for Medical Decision Making

The mission of the Society for Medical Decision Making is to improve health outcomes through the advancement of proactive systematic approaches to clinical decision making and policy-formation in health care by providing a scholarly forum that connects and educates researchers, providers, policy-makers, and the public. We value interdisciplinary scholarship and a global perspective on health care. Methodological excellence, both in breadth and depth, is important to us. At the same time we value the inspiring, energizing, respectful, collegial, and friendly learning environment that the Society provides. By being connected to the health care enterprise in diverse ways we hope to have a positive impact on decision making in health care.

About Medical Decision Making:

Medical Decision Making (MDM), the official journal of the Society for Medical Decision Making, publishes articles designed to improve the health and clinical care of individuals and to assist with health policy development. Presenting theoretical, statistical, and modeling methods from a variety of disciplines, including decision psychology, health economics, clinical epidemiology, and evidence synthesis, the journal promotes understanding of human decision-making processes so that individuals can make more informed and satisfying choices regarding their health. http://mdm.sagepub.com/

About SAGE

SAGE Publications is a leading international publisher of journals, books, and electronic media for academic, educational, and professional markets. Since 1965, SAGE has helped inform and educate a global community of scholars, practitioners, researchers, and students spanning a wide range of subject areas including business, humanities, social sciences, and science, technology and medicine. A privately owned corporation, SAGE has principal offices in Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, and Singapore. www.sagepublications.com


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