Shared decision-making--transferring research into practice: the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP).
OBJECTIVE
To illustrate how the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) can be used to promote shared decision-making and enhance clinician-patient communication.


METHODS
Tutorial review.


RESULTS
The AHP promotes shared decision-making by creating a framework that is used to define the decision, summarize the information available, prioritize information needs, elicit preferences and values, and foster meaningful communication among decision stakeholders.


CONCLUSIONS
The AHP and related multi-criteria methods have the potential for improving the quality of clinical decisions and overcoming current barriers to implementing shared decision-making in busy clinical settings. Further research is needed to determine the best way to implement these tools and to determine their effectiveness.


CONCLUSIONS
Many clinical decisions involve preference-based trade-offs between competing risks and benefits. The AHP is a well-developed method that provides a practical approach for improving patient-provider communication, clinical decision-making, and the quality of patient care in these situations.
Dolan
James G
JG
University of Rochester/Unity Health System, Rochester, NY 14626, USA. jdolan787@gmail.com