Shared decision-making in the physician-patient encounter in France: a general overview

The statutory duty of physicians to inform patients versus unmet patients’ information needs: The case of breast cancer in France

“…Internationally, patients' information needs have become a central concern of some institutions, such as the National Authority for Health and the National Institute for Education in Health in France [40], the Ministry of Health in Italy [41] and the Dutch Patient and Consumer Federation in the Netherlands [42]. At a clinical level, our study shows that patients in France need to be informed by their surgeons for many reasons, other than an instrumental use in helping to make treatment decisions.…”

Shared decision making in the physician-patient encounter in France: a general overview in 2011

“…More generally, the NHA is also committed to the quality of the medical information provided to healthcare professionals and is notably in charge of the Health On the Net label in partnership with the Switzerland Foundation. As mentioned in 2007 [1], providing information to patients and more generally to healthcare users is by definition one of the missions of the National Institute for Education in Health. The Institute conducts prevention and health education programs in the wider context of national public health policies.…”

“…The research is still ongoing but the first results tend to show that patients are satisfied with the services offered [9]. As stated in 2007 [1], from this legal and institutional context one could speculate that there is a strong movement in France in favour of patient information and participation to medical decisions. However, again as stated in 2007, the reality is much different.…”

“…To our knowledge, only few published studies have explored patients' information needs and the information provided by physicians even if the law of March 4 th 2002 requires physicians to provide information to their patients [10,11]. Along the same line, only few teams have analyzed patients' participation in medical decision making and even less have developed decision aids [1,[12][13]. In 2011, the general situation remains unchanged.…”

“…Our paper, published in 2007 [1], described the bases, the status and the development of shared decision making in the physician-patient encounter in France. This is an updated overview of the situation in our country.…”