Shared Decision Making Requires Ethical Application and Judicious Use of Interventions

Source: Forbes, November 7, 2011 On a panel called, “From a Nudge to a Shove: How Big a Role for Shared Decision Making?” at the 2011 Society of Medical Decision Making annual meeting, Kevin Volpp talked about the potential of a gradually escalating “intervention ladder” to guide people toward more healthy decisions.  He also cautioned against interventions that have may have a punitive impact on those who live with environmental factors that foil better decision-making, for example, overweight people who have limited access to exercise and nutritious foods.