The Ottawa Decision Support Guide
General guides and tools have been developed to assess decision making needs and/or plan decision support for patients making difficult decisions about their health. The Ottawa Guide was developed to help practitioners and patients structure assessment, decision support and evaluation based on the Ottawa Decision Support Framework, developed by Dr. Annette O'Connor. The 'Guide' may be useful where a practitioner anticipates that a client may have difficulty making a decision, or a client expresses difficulty making a decision.
Practitioner administered and client self-administered versions of the Ottawa Guide are available. The 'practitioner-administered version' is an interview guide designed to help practitioners explore a difficult health decision with a client. The 'client self-administered version' directs a client to assess their own decision difficulties and plan strategies to meet their needs. Clients can use this tool on their own or to prepare them for a discussion with their practitioner. Both versions of the 'Guide' incorporate a brief version of the Decisional Conflict Scale, which can help assess decision making needs and evaluate the effectiveness of the decision support provided.
The tools are copyrighted but may be used free of charge. To obtain permission, please e-mail Dr. O'Connor (aoconnor@ohri.ca).
Practitioner-Administered Version
Client Self-Administered Version
