When the first edition of this book came out in 2001 (under the title Evidence-based Patient Choice: Inevitable or Impossible?), it examined the emerging themes of patient choice and clinical decision-making, and looked at how these might develop in the future. Since then, these issues have become even more topical. Evidence-based medicine is deeply ingrained in the practice of modern medicine, whilst patient choice is increasingly high on the political agenda. But can the two trends co-exist? ´Shared decision-making´ has developed in response to the sometimes uneasy relationship between a patient´s right to have input into their treatment options, and a clinician´s responsibility to provide the best evidence-based health care. Imagine a patient with osteoarthritis of the knee. She and her