The General Medical Council (GMC) has published its updated Decision making and consent guidance, which comes into effect on 9 November 2020.
The guidance will support doctors to practise shared decision making and help their patients to make healthcare decisions that are right for them. New features include:
- a focus on taking a proportionate approach, acknowledging not every paragraph of the guidance will be relevant to every decision
- seven key principles which summarise the guidance
- a new section to help doctors find out what matters to patients so they can share relevant information to help them decide between viable options
- suggestions for how other members of the healthcare team can support decision making.
