Theories of Medical Decision Making and Health: An Evidence-Based Approach

the Evidence-Based Practice Committee of the Society for Behavioral Medicine, follows with a commentary on the 3 approaches and many other topics of keen interest to researchers concerned with the science of decision making and behavioral change, as applied to both patients and health care providers. Although this special section sprang from a symposium at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Medical Decision Making (SMDM), the authors have gone beyond their addresses to summarize the major findings and rationale for each of their positions. The practical payoff to the reader is a brief introduction to current theories that have evidence behind them, theories that are apt to improve assessments, prevention programs (e.g., risk communication), and intervention efforts in medical decision making and health, including decision aids. WHY THEORY MATTERS Core tasks (e.g., time-tradeoff and standard-gamble tasks to assess utilities), analytical techniques (e.g., estimations of cost effectiveness), and central themes (e.g., patient-centered decision making) of medical decision making research are predicated on assumptions about human judgment and decision making. Surprisingly, however, most medical decision making