Course Level: Advanced
Format Requirements: Both didactic lecture and practical exercises will be used in a manner that balances theory and real world examples and applications. The course will be taught at an Advanced level. The intended audience includes researchers and practitioners interested in building evidence-based patient decision aids who have completed the SMDM Introductory course or have experience with DA design. Comfort using theory to guide thinking is recommended.
Background: Steps recommended for evidence-based patient decision aid design and relevant issues were covered in the introductory course. The five steps include pre-design planning and a systematic design strategy: 1. Select a decision-making theory for guidance, 2. Decide on content to include, 3. Decide how to present the information, 4. Decide on additional component(s) to include, and 5. Select the medium you want to use. Both obvious and not-so-obvious issues lurk in each step. Recently, the International Patient Decision Aid Standards (IPDAS) has been updated which provides us with up-to-date evidence on some of those issues.
Description and Objectives: This advanced course will build on the basic framework presented in the introductory course with in-depth examination of select topics from the recent IPDAS update. In particular, the course will provide further discussion about information presentation by addressing health literacy and by addressing issues and methods for presenting probabilities. And, the course will provide further discussion about additional potential components for patient decision aids by addressing values clarification and by addressing patient stories.
Objectives: By the end of the course, participants will:
- Have a deeper understanding of the basic steps involved in designing evidence-based patient decision aids;
- Be familiar with theory and recent evidence related to health literacy, presenting probabilities, values clarification, and patient stories, and have a resource to consult for further information;
- Further appreciate issues that remain controversial and where improved theory and further evidence are required.