With patients demanding a greater role in the clinical decisionmaking process, many researchers are developing and disseminating decision aids for various medical conditions. In this article, we outline the essential elements in the development and evaluation of a decision aid to help patients with atrial fibrillation choose, in consultation with their physicians, appropriate antithrombotic the...

BACKGROUND Patient decision aids support people to make informed decisions between healthcare options. Personal stories provide illustrative examples of others' experiences and are seen as a useful way to communicate information about health and illness. Evidence indicates that providing information within personal stories affects the judgments and values people have, and the choices they make,...

BACKGROUND Decision-making during pregnancy regarding different options of care can be difficult, particularly when risks of intervention versus no intervention for mother and baby are unclear. Unbiased information and support for decision making may be beneficial in these situations. The management of normal pregnancies at and beyond term is an example of such a situation. In order to determin...

Representation aiding is a form of decision support that relies heavily, (although not exclusively) upon computer graphics. The goal of representation aiding is to support, rather than to replace, an individual in meeting inevitable challenges. The design of successful representation aids depends upon the tasks to be performed and characteristics of human cognition and perception. Issues in des...