Patient decision aids are educational tools that give you information about your options. The aids also encourage you to consider what is important to you as you make your healthcare choices.
You can use these tools before, during, or after your medical appointment. Your healthcare team may provide these to you before certain visits. The aids help you prepare for the discussion with your provider. You can also request a decision aid after your visit from your provider.
Please refer to the following resources to support your healthcare decision-making.
Choosing Wisely®
Choosing Wisely provides patient-friendly resources from specialty societies, and Consumer Reports to help you have conversations with your healthcare provider about what tests and treatments are appropriate for you.
Colorectal cancer screening
Colorectal cancer is one of the few preventable cancers. Talk to your primary care provider to help you understand which test is best for you.
Please refer to our Considering Your Options for Colorectal Cancer Screening (Testing) (PDF) decision aid. Reprinted with permission from Allina Health.
Learn more about colorectal cancer screening and why it's important for prevention and early detection.
Decision Points
Decision points from the Healthwise website and Patient Decision Aids from the Ottowa Hospital website offer tools and guidance on many different health-related questions.
Health Encyclopedia
We provide a Health Encyclopedia to help you stay informed about medical conditions, tests, and treatments.
Lung Cancer Screening Program
Our Lung Cancer Screening Program has developed tools to help you decide if screening is right for you.
Option Grids
Option Grids are designed to help people compare reasonable treatment or screening options for medical conditions. Using a grid, patients and clinicians can read and compare the answers to questions that patients frequently ask about each relevant option. For Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and Dartmouth Hitchcock Clinic patients, a link to the full library of Option Grids will soon be available from your account in myDH.
Ottawa Personal Decision Guide©
The Ottawa Personal Decision Guide Tool is designed to help people make health-related or social decisions. The guide helps you assess your decision-making needs, think about what is important to you in making your choice, and plan your next steps. You can use this guide yourself, or with a facilitator. Health Coaches are available to meet with you to help you think through your choices using this tool as a guide.
Reproductive Genetics
Reproductive Genetics has developed a video and companion booklet that can help you determine whether prenatal screening is right for you.
Our department and program resources
Our departments and programs are staffed by professionals and volunteers who can help you find reliable health information and assistance.
- Aging Resource Center
- Dartmouth Cancer Center's Patient and Family Resource Library
- Dartmouth Health Children's Pediatric Centers and Programs
- Women's Health Resource Center
Other websites of interest
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality provides information on diagnosis & treatment, prevention & health and how to get more involved with your health care.
- The Consumer Health Library at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center contains books and videotapes on a wide variety of consumer health topics, such as heart disease, child health, prescription drugs, aging and much more. There is also a searchable online index of websites that have been selected by the Matthew-Fuller Health Sciences librarians.
- National Patient Safety Foundation provides links to educational opportunities and resources for patients and families.