Decision aid

The Ottawa Personal Decision Guide was designed to help people who are facing difficult decisions that will affect their health or social lives. It can help you to explore your individual needs, plan the next steps and track your progress. It can also make it easier to share your views with others who are involved in the decision.

The decision aid takes you through four main steps:

What decision am I facing?
What are my options? Who can help me?
What do I need in order to be able to make a decision?
What else can I do to feel more confident about making a decision?

The decision aid can't replace a professional consultation. But it can help you prepare for a conversation with healthcare professionals or people close to you.

Preview of decision aid

The Ottawa Personal Decision Guide is available as an interactive PDF. You can fill it in and save it on your computer.

Other decision aids

We have also developed a number of decision aids (in various formats) for specific health problems. They include:

SCREENING

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (screening)
Breast cancer (screening)
Colorectal cancer (screening)
Cervical cancer (screening)
Prostate cancer (screening)

TREATMENT

Endometriosis (treatment)
Heavy periods (treatment)
Pelvic organ prolapse (treatment)
Uterine fibroids (treatment)

Tonsillitis in children (treatment)
Tonsillitis in adults (treatment)
Enlarged tonsils and adenoids (treatment)

Atrial fibrillation (treatment)
Diabetic foot ulcers (treatment)
Osteoarthritis of the knee (treatment)
Prostate cancer, low-risk (treatment)
Shoulder impingement (treatment)
Spinal bone fractures (treatment)

O'Connor AM, Stacey D, Jacobsen MJ. Ottawa Personal Decision Guide. For People Making Health or Social Decisions. 2015. (Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, University of Ottawa).

IQWiG health information is written with the aim of helping people understand the advantages and disadvantages of the main treatment options and health care services.

Because IQWiG is a German institute, some of the information provided here is specific to the German health care system. The suitability of any of the described options in an individual case can be determined by talking to a doctor. informedhealth.org can provide support for talks with doctors and other medical professionals, but cannot replace them. We do not offer individual consultations.

Our information is based on the results of good-quality studies. It is written by a team of health care professionals, scientists and editors, and reviewed by external experts. You can find a detailed description of how our health information is produced and updated in our methods.

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We welcome any feedback and ideas. We will review, but not publish, your ratings and comments. Your information will of course be treated confidentially. Fields marked with an asterisk (*) are required fields.

Please note that we do not provide individual advice on matters of health. You can read about where to find help and support in Germany in our information “How can I find self-help groups and information centers?”

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Decision aid

Updated on April 27, 2022
Next planned update: 2025

Publisher:

Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG, Germany)

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Decision aid

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Other decision aids