title: Aligning ethics with medical decision-making: the quest for informed patient choice.
abstract: Clinical evidence suggests that many patients undergo surgery that they would decline if fully informed. Failure to communicate the relevant risks, benefits, and alternatives of a procedure violates medical ethics and wastes medical resources. Integrating shared decision-making, a method of communication between provider and patient, into medical decisions can satisfy physicians' ethical obligations and reduce unwanted procedures. This article proposes a three-step process for implementing a nationwide practice of shared decision-making: (1) create model integration programs; (2) provide legal incentives to ease the transition; and (3) incorporate shared decision-making into medical necessity determinations.
authors.affiliation: Health Law at Harvard School of Public Health, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Moulton
authors.forename: Jaime S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: King
mesh_terms: D026686:Beneficence; D003657:Decision Making / Q000941:ethics*; D030881:Disclosure / Q000941:ethics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006291:Health Policy / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent / Q000941:ethics* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D010358:Patient Participation; D057240:Patient Preference; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations / Q000941:ethics*; D014481:United States