Meaningful shared decision‐making: complex process demanding cognitive and emotional skills

BACKGROUND: Shared decision-making (SDM) takes place when clinicians help patient identify best course of action in the context of their preferences. METHODS: The aim of this paper is a narrative review of the literature with special focus on the humanistic dimensions of SDM. RESULTS: We show that SDM is largely underused in practice, because of many barriers such as time constraints and poor skills. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that listening and empathy are key challenges in communicating uncertainty, which require emotional intelligence and trust building skills. To promote implementation, we propose the development of tools, simulation-based training and the design of improved measures for SDM quality. While essential for patients, we believe that SDM may restore meaning in healthcare.