This PCORI Funding Announcement (PFA) promotes the targeted implementation and systematic uptake of shared decision making (SDM) in healthcare settings, in line with PCORI’s goal of supporting patients in making informed decisions about their care. For this PFA, PCORI defines an SDM strategy as an intervention or approach that draws on and presents evidence to inform patients of available treatment options and their risks and benefits, and either engages patients in a decision-making process with their clinician or promotes their ability to engage in such a process.

This initiative supports projects that propose active, multi-component approaches to implementing effective SDM strategies that address existing barriers and obstacles to uptake and maintenance of shared decision making. The SDM strategy must have demonstrated effectiveness on patient, caregiver, or healthcare provider decision making using widely-accepted metrics; the corresponding implementation approach must have potential for use and scalability beyond the targeted implementation setting. Patients and others whose involvement is central to success of the proposed project should be involved in its design and execution. In addition, applicants should assure that the proposed project team draws on sufficient expertise in both SDM and implementation science. Projects must incorporate rigorous evaluation of the implementation of SDM approaches, as well as the impact of the SDM processes in the targeted settings.