“Decision aids can help patients understand the options, harms and side effects of a treatment so that they can make a decision that aligns with their priorities,” said Dr. Dawn Stacey, senior scientist at The Ottawa Hospital and Distinguished Professor at the University of Ottawa.Dr. Dawn Stacey, head of TOH’s internationally renowned Patient Decision Aids Research Group, has been elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

With a background in nursing and knowledge translation research, Dr. Stacey is an international authority in methods to support patients’ involvement in evidence-informed healthcare decisions. Her pioneering research established cancer symptom triage decision tools, the novel decision coaching role, and efficient methods for creating decision aids, thereby improving patient and health system outcomes. Her methods and tools are publicly available, used in practice, and have directly influenced health policy in Canada and globally.

Dr. Stacey and her team also maintain the world’s largest inventory of patient decision aids, which has over 250,000 page views per year.

“Decision aids can help patients understand the options, harms and side effects of a treatment so that they can make a decision that aligns with their priorities,” said Dr. Dawn Stacey, senior scientist at The Ottawa Hospital and Distinguished Professor at the University of Ottawa.