The Malaysian Shared Decision Making Group (The MSDM Group)
The MSDM Group comprising members from all over Malaysia to discuss topics related to shared decision making and patient empowerment. The group aims to improve health outcomes through the advancement of proactive systematic approaches to clinical decision making and policy formation in healthcare. It does this by carrying out research and discourse to promoting an intergated approach to health care decision making based on multiple perspectives and expertise across different disciplines. It seeks to promote informed and shared-decision making by policy makers, physicians, patients and the public.
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Why shared decision making?
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Non-communicable diseases are escalating in Malaysia at an alarming rate (Ministry of Health Malaysia, 2016).
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Deciding on a consultation agenda is important as patients often present with multiple agenda which require decision making; many of which are preference sensitive, where several treatment options leading to different outcomes exists. Examples of preference sensitive decisions include insulin intiation in diabetes, anticoagulation in atrial fibrillation, pain relief in osteoarthritis of the knees, and choice of antidepressants in depression.
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In circumstances like these, treatment decisions are difficult to be made as there is a need to balance the harms within and between treatment options.
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SDM allow doctors to provide information to patients based on best available research evidence and clinical experience while patients share their concerns, values and preferences over the treatment options; and both work together to reach decisions that are individualized to the patient's needs.
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Studies have shown that patients in Malaysia want to be involved in decision making for their health (Najwa Aziz, 2016; Ambigapathy et al., 2016).
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