Table II.

The ipdas checklist

Content
1	The decision aid describes the condition (health or other) related to the decision.
2	The decision aid describes the decision that needs to be considered (the index decision).
3	The decision aid lists the options (health care or other).
4	The decision aid describes what happens in the natural course of the condition (health or other) if no action is taken.
5	The decision aid has information about the procedures involved (for example, what is done before, during, and after the health care option).
6	The decision aid has information about the positive features of the options (for example, benefits, advantages).
7	The decision aid has information about negative features of the options (for example, harms, side effects, disadvantages).
8	The information about outcomes of options (positive and negative) includes the chances that they may happen.
9	The decision aid has information about what a test is designed to measure.
10	The decision aid describes possible next steps based on the test results.
11	The decision aid has information about the chances of disease being found with and without screening.
12	The decision aid has information about the detection and treatment of disease that would never have caused problems if screening had not been done.
13	The decision aid presents probabilities using event rates in a defined group of people for a specified time.
14	The decision aid compares probabilities (for example, chance of a disease, benefit, harm, or side effect) of options using the same denominator.
15	The decision aid compares probabilities of options over the same period of time.
16	The decision aid uses the same scales in diagrams comparing options.
17	The decision aid asks people to think about which positive and negative features of the options matter most to them.
18	The decision aid makes it possible to compare the positive and negative features of the available options.
19	The decision aid shows the negative and positive features of the options with equal detail.
Development process
20	Users (people who have already faced the decision) are asked a bout what they need to prepare them to discuss a specific decision.
21	The decision aid is reviewed by people who previously faced the decision and who were not involved in its development and field testing.
22	People facing the decision field-tested the decision aid.
23	Field-testing shows that the decision aid is acceptable to users (the general public and practitioners).
24	Field-testing shows that people who were undecided felt that the information was presented in a balanced way.
25	The decision aid provides references to the scientific evidence used.
26	The decision aid reports the date of its last revision.
27	The decision aid reports whether the authors or their affiliations stand to gain or lose by the choices people make after using the decision aid.
28	The decision aid (or available technical document) reports read ability levels.
Effectiveness
29	There is evidence that the decision aid (or an aid based on the same template) helps people learn about the available options and their features.
30	There is evidence that the decision aid (or one based on the same template) improves the match between the features that matter most to the informed person and the option that is chosen.