Informed consent as usually practiced does not lead to patients being as informed and involved in their health care decisions as they could be. Patients and clinicians making decisions without full information can lead to unwanted practice variation. Many health care decisions are "preference sensitive" in that there is more than one reasonable approach to diagnosis or treatment, and patients' preferences play an important role in decision making. Through a process of shared decision making, patients and clinicians can work together to make good health care choices. FMDRL_ID: 4642#Conferences #2013 #ConferenceonPracticeImprovement