Values in Care

    Prepare for a medical decision.

    Write down what matters to you, turn it into questions, and take a one-page brief to your appointment.

    Facing a decision

    Work out what mattersHelping someone else

    No account needed. Your notes stay on this device.

    Example

    My Decision Brief

    WHAT I AM DECIDING

    Whether to start a new treatment now or ask about another reasonable option first.

    WHAT MATTERS MOST HERE

    Staying clear-headed · symptom relief · time with family · manageable cost

    QUESTIONS I WANT ANSWERED

    • What benefit should I realistically expect?
    • Which side effects or burdens would change the plan?
    • What reasonable alternatives should I understand?

    Yours would be in your own words.

    How it works

    Open the Decision Guide

    1. Name the decision.

      Sometimes the first decision is whether you need more information.

    2. Say what matters in this one.

      Priorities shift with the decision. Time might matter most this month and not next.

    3. Turn that into questions.

      One page, so the facts and what matters to you land in the same conversation.

    Decisions this covers

    All care dimensions
    Testing & screeningWhether to test, how much uncertainty to accept, and what could follow from a result.MedicationExpected benefit, side effects, monitoring, daily burden, cost, and alternatives.TreatmentCompare likely benefit, burden, uncertainty, time, and effects on everyday life.Procedure or surgeryRisk, recovery, function, time away from responsibilities, and reasonable alternatives.Chronic careBalance disease control with treatment workload, independence, participation, and life goals.Mental healthSymptoms, function, therapy or medication preferences, privacy, side effects, and support.Pregnancy, fertility & reproductive careGoals, probabilities, bodily burden, family context, future fertility, and values that matter.Pediatric & family careChild wellbeing, developmental stage, family roles, treatment burden, and emerging autonomy.

    What counts as a value

    Being able to drive. Not missing a grandchild's wedding. Cost. What your faith asks.

    All seventeen areas
    • Living longer
    • Symptoms & comfort
    • Function & participation
    • Thinking clearly
    • Independence, support & place
    • Time
    • Treatment burden
    • Work, school & responsibilities
    • Caring for others
    • Family & relationships

    What to expect

    Calling something a validated patient decision aid takes a higher bar than this clears. The Methodology page explains where that bar sits.

    MethodologyEvidenceLimitationsPrivacy
    • Every clinical or cultural claim links to where it came from and whether anyone independent has reviewed it.
    • Nothing is inferred from your diagnosis or background. You write it.
    • Priorities change. Come back and change yours.
    • This helps you prepare. It does not replace your care team's judgment or your consent.

    Where the sources are strongest

    Serious illness, palliative care, spiritual care, and caregiving have the most reviewed sources. Other areas are thinner, and each page says how thin.

    Serious-illness & end-of-life evidence Spiritual care Traditions & worldviews Caregiver support

    Common questions

    What is Values in Care?

    An independent, free educational tool for preparing for a medical decision. You write down what matters to you, it turns that into questions, and you take a one-page brief to your appointment.

    Is Values in Care only for palliative care or end-of-life decisions?

    No. The evidence is deepest in serious illness, but the tools work for testing, medications, treatments, procedures, chronic care, mental health, reproductive care, pediatrics, aging and disability, and acute care.

    Does Values in Care tell me which treatment to choose?

    No. The tools record your priorities and turn them into questions. A recommendation requires your treating team and evidence for your condition. Nothing here is medical advice or a validated patient decision aid.

    How is the decision-support approach grounded in evidence?

    The framework draws on established shared decision-making and patient decision-aid literature, including AHRQ, IPDAS, NICE, the Ottawa Decision Support Framework, and the 2024 Cochrane review of patient decision aids. The Methodology page explains the distinction between educational resources, values tools, decision guides, and higher-bar patient decision aids.

    Does Values in Care assume my religion, culture, or identity determines my preferences?

    No. Faith, culture and identity are optional context. Nothing is inferred from them. The tradition and worldview pages carry questions to ask, not answers about a person.

    For clinicians and care teams

    Evaluation materials for a department or institution, and a way to review or correct a claim.

    For your settingContribute expertise