Theories of Medical Decision Making and Health: An Evidence-Based Approach

In this special section of Medical Decision Making, 3 developers of evidence-based theories of medical decision making and health present their approaches: Fishbein (theory of reasoned action); Prochaska (transtheoretical model); and Reyna (fuzzy-trace theory). Spring, chair of the Evidence-Based Practice Committee of the Society for Behavioral Medicine, follows with a commentary on the 3 approaches and many other topics of keen interest to researchers concerned with the science of decision making and behavioral change, as applied to both patients and health care providers. Although this special section sprang from a symposium at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Medical Decision Making (SMDM), the authors have gone beyond their addresses to summarize the major findings and rationale for each of their positions. The practical payoff to the reader is a brief introduction to current theories that have evidence behind them, theories that are apt to improve assessments, prevention programs (e.g., risk communication), and intervention efforts in medical decision making and health, including decision aids.