PRS Students Testify Before New Hampshire Health, Human Services, and Elderly Affairs Committee

On May 24, 2011, three Dartmouth student researchers from the Policy Research Shop at the Nelson A. Rockefeller Center traveled to Concord to testify before the Health, Human  Services, and Elderly Affairs Committee of the New Hampshire House of Representatives. Catie Burkhard '11, Karen Doster '11, and Hope McIntyre '11, presented their PRS report, "Shared Decision Making: Background Information and Policy Options for New Hampshire," that describes, summarizes, and analyzes shared decision making in doctor-patient relationships.

Rockefeller Center PRS students, Catie Burkhard '11, Karen Doster '11, and Hope McIntyre '11, testify before the New Hampshire Health, Human Services, and Elderly Affairs Committee on May 24, 2011.

Shared decision making is a two-way discussion between doctors and patients which informs patients about their options and informs doctors about patients' preferences in situations without one clear best course of action. It is a broader and deeper conversation than "informed consent" and appears to lead to increases in patient satisfaction and reductions in procedures.  The students described how shared decision making works, summarized the current academic research, and identified implementation challenges. They also described a number of potential policy options comprising varying levels of government involvement which could lead to increased use of shared decision making.

The Policy Research Shop is supported in part by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education's Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) program.