In 2005, MGH established one of the first Shared Decision Making programs in the country, dedicated to promoting use of patient decision aids in routine care.

The Health Decision Sciences Center (HDSC) at Massachusetts General Hospital was formed in 2010, building on strong foundations in shared decision making and decision science research. MGH and the HDSC have had longstanding connections with the Informed Medical Decisions Foundation. In 2017, that collaboration was formalized with the creation of the Informed Medical Decisions Program (IMDP) within the HDSC.

A journal summary of Dr. Karen Sepucha’s publication in The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery about decision support strategies for hip and knee osteoarthritis (DECIDE-OA study) was recently published in Advances in Motion. The article can be found at the following link.

Press Release

Karen Sepucha, PhD and Leigh Simmons, MD Approved for $2.2 Million in Research Funding for Promoting Informed Decisions about Cancer Screening in Older Adults (PRIMED Study)

Funds awarded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute

Drs. Sepucha and Simmons from the Health Decision Sciences Center (HDSC) at Massachusetts General Hospital have been approved for a $2.2 million funding award by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to address an important gap in our understanding of how to support clinicians and older patients in making good decisions about whether to continue colorectal cancer (CRC) screening. The study, Promoting Informed Decisions about Cancer Screening in Older Adults (PRIMED Study), will advance our understanding of how to best communicate evidence of cancer screening benefits and harms to older adults and is well aligned with PCORI’s mission.

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Earlier this month, NQF published the NQP Playbook™: Shared Decision Making in Healthcare, which was developed with input from Dr. Sepucha and other experts in the field. The playbook has guidance for institutions looking to implement shared decision making and culminates important work by the NQF to recognize and promote SDM as a key tenet of improving healthcare quality. The playbook can be purchased here.

Massachusetts Health Quality Partners featured the work of the HDSC as a key strategy to increase patient engagement at Partners HealthCare.

Dr. Barry is quoted in a WBUR piece about the role of shared decision making and active surveillance in breast cancer treatment. WBUR is covering the changing face of cancer their series This Moment in Cancer.

Dr. Barry weighs in on family decision making about prostate cancer screening and treatment. Read the WBUR piece here.

Dr. Karen Sepucha’s work on the integration of decision aids to foster shared decision making and improve patients medical decisions is featured in Orthobuzz.

Dr. Sepucha recently presented a study on decision making in joint replacement surgery at the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons 2017 Annual Meeting. Read the Medscape article here.

Dr. Simmons was quoted in a recent Wall Street Journal article about shared decision making.