The seventh column on Evidence-Based Behavioral Medicine synopsizes a systematic review by Chewning and colleagues (Pat Educ Couns 86:9-18, 2012) on patient preferences for shared decision-making regarding treatment and screening. A total of 115 studies were included in the final analyses. In 63 % of studies, a majority of patients preferred sharing decisions with their primary care physician, as opposed to delegating health decisions to their provider. A time trend appeared such that in studies published more recently, a greater percentage of patients, particularly cancer patients, preferred sharing decisions. Further research should seek to better understand how the decision making of specific patient populations is influenced by life course changes and secular trends. Longitudinal studies can help to elucidate how patient decision-making preferences evolve over the course of illness and health status changes in different medical conditions.
Keywords: Patient decision role; Patient preferences; Patient-centered medical home; Shared decision making.