Decision support tools, also called patient decision aids, support shared decision making by making treatment, care and support options explicit. They provide evidence-based information about the associated benefits/harms and help patients to consider what matters most to them in relation to the possible outcomes, including doing nothing.

Decision support tools: making a decision about a health condition

These decision support tools are designed to support shared decision making between people and a clinician. People may find they are useful before, during or between consultations depending on their care pathway.

Cardiovascular

• Angina: making a decision about stable angina
• Atrial fibrillation: making a decision about further treatment for atrial fibrillation

Long term conditions

• Chronic primary pain: making decisions to help you live well with chronic primary pain
• Depression: making decisions about managing depression
• Type 1 diabetes: making a decision about managing type 1 diabetes

Medical

• Bipolar disorder: is valproate the right treatment for me
• Epilepsy: is valproate the right epilepsy treatment for me

Ophthalmology

• Cataracts: making a decision about cataracts
• Open-angle glaucoma: making a decision about open-angle glaucoma
• Wet age-related macular degeneration: making a decision about wet age-related macular degeneration

Orthopaedics

• Carpal tunnel syndrome: making a decision about carpal tunnel syndrome
• Dupuytren’s contracture: making a decision about Dupuytren’s contracture
• Hip osteoarthritis: making a decision about hip osteoarthritis
• Knee osteoarthritis: making a decision about knee osteoarthritis

Surgery

• Abdominal aortic aneurysm: making a decision about abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA)
• Gallstones: making a decision about gallstones
• Glue ear: making a decision about glue ear if your child has hearing loss
• Inguinal hernia: making a decision about inguinal hernia
• Prostate: making a decision about enlarged prostate (BPE)
• Tonsillitis: making a decision about recurrent tonsillitis in children and adults
• Varicose veins: making a decision about treatment for varicose veins

Women’s health

• Heavy periods: making a decision about managing heavy periods

Each decision support tool has been developed with input throughout the process from healthcare professionals, patients and the public, and presents the numbers in as clear a way as possible to help people make their own decisions about whether to choose treatments or not. Acknowledgement of all people involved can be found on the University of Cambridge’s Winton Centre’s website.

These tools have been developed in accordance with The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence standards framework for shared decision making support tools, including patient decision aids.

There is also a very helpful short video that introduces the MSK DSTs including their purpose and content.

We will continue to build on this suite of tools and publish as they become available.