NHS Direct

Online Patient Decision Aids launched at a national event

The eight online Patient Decision Aids (PDAs) developed by NHS Direct were officially launched by Secretary of State for Health Andrew Lansley at a recent event hosted by East of England Strategic Health Authority. 85 delegates from the NHS and other health organisations attended the event to find out more.

The event included a keynote speech from Andrew Lansley who talked about his vision that every patient should be involved in decisions about their healthcare (no decision about me, without me). He acknowledged the work NHS Direct has done to develop the online PDAs and talked about his ambition for more patients to use the tools, with support from clinicians, to make important decisions. He said:

“Patients are the greatest untapped resource in healthcare and I want the conversation between doctor and patient to become a meeting between two experts – the clinical expert and the expert on themselves. These online Patient Decision Aids are an important step towards helping patients make real, informed decisions about their care. They are part of the culture change within a personalised NHS that puts patients in control of their health.”

Dr Steve Laitner, General Practitioner and National Clinical Lead for Shared Decision Making, has worked closely with NHS Direct to develop the decision aids and set the scene for the whole Shared Decision Making programme of work. He was followed by Dr Mary Archer, Chairman of Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, who talked about how she has seen Patient Decision Aids evolve from paper booklets to the online resources we have today. She thanked NHS Direct for making this possible.

Patients also shared their experiences of using Patient Decision Aids. Janet Hardiman Smith, who has arthritis of the knee, currently self manages her condition and was interested in using the decision aid to see what options it gave her to more effectively continue to self manage. She said:

“The Patient Decision Aid respectfully and gently guided me through all aspects of my condition. It was like having a long, unhurried session with a top knowledgeable specialist, with the extra benefit of additional advice from the videos. The Patient Decision Aid allowed me to learn more about my condition and the treatments on offer. To be able to review this in the context of my own life was hugely beneficial."

View the eight NHS Direct Online Patient Decision Aids.