Decision Aids to Support Shared Decision Making During Serious Illness

The Coalition for Compassionate Care of California is developing five new patient-centered decision aids to support shared decision making during serious illness or health crises. Physicians are invited to complete a brief two-question survey by Feb. 13, 2026, to help identify which treatments are most in need of these tools. 

CCC already has decision aids for CPR, mechanical ventilation, tube feeding, and artificial hydration. The evidence on the effectiveness of PDAs is robust. But real-world implementation remains sparse. Alarmingly, use of PDAs remains low even when specifically mandated by federal law.