Impact and Experiences of Using Decisions Aids in Outpatient Mental Health.

Patients assigned to the intervention group will be exposed to the Decision Helper™ during consultations in which treatment decisions or related issues are addressed. The Decision Helper™ used in these consultations follows a five-step process based on the core principles of shared decision-making: (1) framing the situation and explaining the purpose of the consultation; (2) clarifying the patient's preferred level of information; (3) exploring what matters most to the patient in the decision-making process; (4) presenting the available treatment options, including their advantages and disadvantages; and (5) asking whether the patient is ready to make a decision regarding their preferred treatment option.

Patients assigned to the control group will not be exposed to the Decision Helper™ during treatment consultations in which decisions are made. However, because all healthcare professionals in the participating settings have received training in shared decision-making, the control group constitutes an active control condition, as patients will still be exposed to the general principles of SDM during decision-making consultations.