Mary C. Politi, PhD
Professor & Health Psychologist at WashU researching health decision making, patient and public engagement in research, health literacy. #publichealth #shareddecisionmaking Mom of 2 girls and an adopted beagle. Posts my own
- Navigating Conflicting Vaccination Recommendations: Guidance for Clinicians. "Changes to the vaccines recommended by ACIP and the CDC need not, and should not, substantially affect clinical practice." jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
- Effective features commonly included video and animation formats and messages from health experts and credible sources. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
- interesting analysis of public comments about lung cancer screening with relevance to other areas where #shareddecisionmaking is required (vs. recommended). nice work by Dr. Bob Volk et al. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
- Presenting numbers using evidence-based strategies may support patient understanding and engagement in care. Nice work @bzikmund.bsky.social @angiefagerlin.bsky.social @athorpe8.bsky.social jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
- LLMs can produce comparison tables to support #shareddecisionmaking, but need to be reviewed and checked by experts. Some of the details they produce are less accurate and less readable than those created by people. nice work @glynelwyn.bsky.social et al. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
- nice work by Bryan Sisk et al talking about the experience and design of patient portals for adolescents, and suggestions for communication with families now that clinical documentation is viewable to patients and caregivers. pediatrics.jmir.org/2025/1/e72134/
- "As the newest school at WashU, the School of Public Health is built to thrive within a powerful ecosystem of interdisciplinary research and practice, forging connections across the university to amplify its impact. " Read more here: source.washu.edu/2025/09/buil...
- great paper by @glynelwyn.bsky.social et al about the limits of shared decision making. "the need for SDM is increasing... Nevertheless, as we outline, there are situations that limit when decisions can, or should, be shared." ebm.bmj.com/content/28/4...
- "The possible lack of progress among lower-educated and uninsured individuals may foreshadow widening disparities." One strategy to improve screening includes mailed FIT test interventions...I wonder why we do not do this as often and use colonoscopy first. jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
- Reposted by Mary C. Politi, PhDI'm delighted to announce our forthcoming Oxford Textbook of Shared Decision Making in Healthcare (4th Edition). Glyn Elwyn Adrian Edwards Publication date - late August 2025. Pre-order available now. Further updates to follow. 📖 global.oup.com/academic/pro... #shareddecisionmaking
- "When patients feel unheard, arming themselves with knowledge becomes a strategy to be taken seriously... If patients are arming themselves with information to be heard, our task as clinicians is to meet them with recognition, not resistance." jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
- Shared Decision Making is an essential component of high-quality, patient-centered care, yet this study identified that over a third of surgical patients reported inadequate SDM, especially in rural settings. FYI @glynelwyn.bsky.social pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40528763/
- The authors found a mean monthly increase of $592 in out-of-pocket costs after a cancer diagnosis, and an annual cost increase of $4145. This increase underscores the financial burden of cancer care on patients with insurance who are not yet eligible for Medicare. jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
- "These strategies support practical decision-making across the planning, delivery, and sustainment phases of implementation, and offer context-sensitive guidance for adapting interventions to diverse settings." #impsci implementationscience.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....
- excellent paper & case study about designing for dissemination through community engagement. "Sharing power and decision-making enhanced the capacity for local-level dissemination, which is much needed to advance the science of community partnerships." pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40665973/
- new SBM toolkit with resources to address misinformation, including the difference between misinformation (shared unintentionally) and disinformation (deliberately spread to deceive). www.sbm.org/scicomm/comb...
- Falls are a major cause of injuries among older people, with medication being a key risk factor. The SNOWDROP intervention increased shared decision-making, patients’ satisfaction w/communication, and reduced decisional conflict with no change in beliefs about meds. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
- Systematic review to understand users perspectives on AI-enabled decision aids to inform shared decision making. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
- thoughtful work as always by @bzikmund.bsky.social and Dr. Ancker about how we choose which risk communication method/format to use (Tl;dr: it depends on our goals of risk communication): ebm.bmj.com/content/earl...
- "The findings of this cross-sectional study highlight substantial variation in commercial pricing for general surgery services, with facility prices exhibiting greater variability, especially for endoscopic procedures." jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
- Nothing Is as Great a Learning Experience as Getting a $15,000 Bill”: A Mixed-Methods Study of Young Adult Cancer Survivors' Experience With Insurance Coverage. FYI @ashhoustenotd.bsky.social ascopubs.org/doi/abs/10.1...
- Reposted by Mary C. Politi, PhD[Not loaded yet]
- great work Ashley Housten et al quantifying prostate cancer treatment costs. This work came out of clinicians asking about relative costs of treatment to inform shared decision making. journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...
- great work by Renee Parks & Ross Brownson of the Prevention Research Center at WashU. "In a time of growing misinformation and political pressure, WashU researchers are cutting through the noise with scientific data and trusted guidance..." source.washu.edu/2025/05/wash...
- great work by @ellenpeters.bsky.social et al. Best practices include communicating with numbers; decreasing cognitive effort; providing meaning of numeric risk data; acknowledging uncertainty; testing communication through teach-back. #medsky pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40301218/
- Interesting findings that patients might trust clinicians less if they recommend less intensive testing or follow up compared to AI. @bzikmund.bsky.social et al www.jmir.org/2025/1/e68823/
- Many are asking how they can help. I am still stunned by the power of this storm and know that recovery will be a long process. TY to the WashU community for letting us know how we can come together to support the community of those in need. stlouis.washu.edu/st-louis-sto...
- excellent article by #WashU colleagues in the bioethics research center about responsible sharing of qualitative research findings. "As more qualitative researchers (QRs) share sensitive data, they will need support to share responsibly." journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
- Reposted by Mary C. Politi, PhDOver 90% of Americans rely on federally funded science, But only 10% are worried about losing access to it. That’s a dangerous disconnect. Help us close the gap. Join our #SummerFightForScience and help spread the word about how essential science is to everyday lives. www.npr.org/2025/05/06/n...
- unmet social needs in survivors of cancer pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40323567/
- join us at the ICTS symposium this Wed on Accelerating Translation: The Science of Moving Forward. #impsci @anabaumann.bsky.social @erikawatersphd.bsky.social research.washu.edu/events/event...
- important study testing tiered communication (recommending 1st, then discussing if hesitancy arises) for on-time vaccinations. Larger cultural norms and information outside of practice may be more influential. Recording sessions could also help shed light on convos. jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
- interesting findings that shared decision-making influenced code status (patients were more likely to choose DNR code status in SDM arm vs standard care). People felt less uncertainty about their choice but I would like to learn more (audiorecord to assess content?) evidence.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
- CONSORT 2025 Statement: Updated Guideline for Reporting Randomized Trials jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
- Christina Ping led this scoping review of interventions to address financial toxicity among those dealing with cancer. Many strategies show promising effects. Institutions can choose what works best for their setting and population. @ashhoustenotd.bsky.social onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
- "No American should be one $10 oversight from losing coverage." Wise words from Dr. Peter Ubel. FYI @mcbridetd.bsky.social www.forbes.com/sites/peteru...
- I hope we continue to work to improve the care system for people who are already experiencing a distressing illness. There are evidence-based strategies that help offset costs while we work on systems-level change. link.springer.com/article/10.1...
- excellent summary of best practices to address health literacy. I just saved this article for my class, as this Monday's topic is about HL interventions. TY to Dr. Paasche-Orlow and Dr. Wolf for the timely summary. I would add that orgs can work on the HL environment. jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
- This study found that web-based resources did not meet criteria for appropriate education to support adults measuring blood pressure at home. We've found similar issues with websites about many health conditions. infodemiology.jmir.org/2025/1/e55248
- "In a survey study of 10 000 US adults, 7% reported having been present on the scene where 4 or more people were shot, which was more common among younger generations, males, and Black respondents." shocking statistics on exposure to gun violence. jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
- People eligible for lung cancer screening might be able to be reached through receiving other preventive health care services. jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
- really well written article about people's reactions to the ideas of overdiagnosis. illuminating quotes. I wonder if cost came up? @kirstenmccaffery.bsky.social @jolynhersch.bsky.social et al. bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/3...
- new paper from our lab using implementation science while continuing to test the impact of participant-centered informed consent key information pages. TY to Siteman Cancer Center & WashU ICTS for their funding support. @ashhoustenotd.bsky.social et al bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/3...
- data support the short-term safety of active monitoring for low-risk DCIS...another opportunity for shared decision making. jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
- JAMA Revisited is transcribed verbatim from articles published previously...amazing how much still applies here (except maybe the dog eared or stapled copies!). jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
- minimize the burden of healthcare... "Self-scheduling was linked to increased screening mammography completion rates postimplementation when compared to traditional scheduling." pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40044309/
- Reposted by Mary C. Politi, PhD[Not loaded yet]
- "Expanding the pipeline for SSH physician-scientists requires multilevel coordination." excellent suggestions for building this pipeline, published in JAMA: jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
- systematic review of financial navigation interventions among survivors of cancer. I just talked to someone yesterday about the many years after a cancer diagnosis, with bills that continue to come for routine, diagnostic, and secondary effects of cancer. qualitysafety.bmj.com/content/earl...
