Publications
Publications
- October 2003 (Revised January 2005)
- HBS Case Collection
Shared Decision Making
By: Richard M.J. Bohmer, Karen Sepucha and Laura Feldman
Abstract
The Foundation for Informed Medical Decision-Making has created an interactive videodisc system that provides patients with customized support regarding medical treatment or screening decisions when they face a choice between two equally effective courses of action. The videodiscs, known as shared decision-making programs (SDPs), were the result of considering grant-funded research into treatment outcomes and patients' preferences concerning varying medical treatments. Over a six-year period, the foundation has partnered with a variety of commercial firms to manufacture and market the SDPs. Despite robust evidence supporting the effectiveness of the SDPs and the enthusiastic response of early purchasers, the foundation has been unable to widely disseminate the product and faces major debt.
Keywords
Decision Choices and Conditions; Borrowing and Debt; Health Care and Treatment; Innovation Strategy; Technological Innovation; Product Marketing; Distribution Channels; Production; Partners and Partnerships; Research and Development; Information Technology
Citation
Bohmer, Richard M.J., Karen Sepucha, and Laura Feldman. "Shared Decision Making." Harvard Business School Case 604-001, October 2003. (Revised January 2005.)