In the past decade, the relationship between patient choice and clinical decision making has been seen as increasingly significant by healthcare systems around the globe. This 3rd edition of Shared Decision Making in Health Care addresses important developments in this area, including the placing of shared decision making (SDM) at the centre of the US 2009 Affordable Care Act by Obamacare. This resource examines what makes an effective decision-making process from both theoretical and practical viewpoints, and the benefits and obstacles arising in shared patient-clinician decision making. It begins by putting shared decision making in a real-world context, examining its role in customized rather than commercialized healthcare, and in the achievement of allocative efficiency in health systems. It then provides theoretical and practical information for clinicians on the inclusion of patients in decision making and teaching SDM. Research is presented using systematic reviews and case studies to provide an understanding of the theoretical and practical aspects of preparing for, developing, and implementing SDM. The resource then relates SDM to broader issues such as health inequalities and quality improvement, and ends by examining ways in which SDM can be promoted by different population groups.