Dr. John M: Autonomy vs beneficence? Shared decision-making in the patient considered for an ICD

Dr. Lin and Matlock were quoted in Dr. John Mandrola's post today:

"Convincing physicians to engage in shared decision-making is a complex undertaking, as physicians may believe that they are following clinical practice guidelines in strongly recommending an ICD to eligible patients. Because quality-improvement efforts often focus on increasing physician adherence to guidelines and reward physicians for clinical processes or outcomes rather than high-quality decision-making, the message to physicians is that guideline adherence, rather than individualized care, is best."

For implantable cardiac defibrillator (ICD) implanting physicians everywhere, if you read nothing else today, read this excellent post by Dr. John M.

-Wes