Social Media Meets Shared Decision Making with iShould
July 27, 2010 
While taking a walking this beautiful afternoon, I noticed a frail elderly woman inching forward on the sidewalk in front of me as her aide held her arm securely around the senior’s tiny waist.
Although you and I may not need physical support to move ahead, imagine the feeling that you are heading in the right direction, with guidance each step of the way.
During my panel last week on “New Models for Social Media”, I shared an example of an interesting approach which is at the intersection of social media and decision support. With the “iShould” application developed by the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI), you can reach out online to your own social network to gather input for your health decision. If for example you are considering corrective eye surgery, you can bring those you trust into your decision process. On this Facebook application, you fill in the decision, list and rate the pros and cons and select friends to comment. This invites support around your decision.
I do believe that this application can be most valuable when you are asking friends who have experience with your health decision so that they can provide insightful comments for your consideration.
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