Shared Decision-making in Pediatric Practice: A Broad View

Abstract

In 1982, the Presidential Commission published its seminal report, Making Health Care Decisions, advocating for informed medical decision-making shared between the patient and health care providers that is sensitive to patient values and goals. Over the past 2 decades, multiple professional organizations have officially supported shared decision-making (SDM); however, there remains no unified, well-accepted definition of the term. One reason for the lack of consensus is the wide array of clinical settings and patient populations. SDM in pediatric practice can be complicated because of the inclusion of the child in the decision-making team and the duties and limits of parental decision-making authority. The authors in this supplement provide a broad view of SDM in the pediatric setting. Many of the authors raise important questions and delineate some of the challenges that lie ahead. We hope that the articles foster further conversation and spur research to improve SDM and the care we provide to children and families.