Our Approach
Medical decisions often become difficult when illness shapes the choices that are available — particularly when people are still adjusting to what is happening and outcomes remain uncertain. In these moments, it can be challenging to make sense of medical information while also grappling with fear, hope, and a tremendous sense of responsibility given what is at stake. Options may be constrained by what the body can and cannot do, information may still be evolving, and no path may feel clearly right.
In these circumstances, it is not always clear how to align what you want with what medicine can offer, and decisions are rarely resolved by facts alone.
IPIC’s approach to decision support rests on two essential elements: understanding and alignment.
Understanding the Decision
IPIC helps people:
— Clarify what decision is being faced
What is being decided, and why now.
— Distinguish what is known from what remains uncertain
What can be predicted with confidence, and what cannot.
— Make sense of likely outcomes and tradeoffs
What different paths may involve, practically and personally.
Aligning Choices with Individual Priorities
Good decisions are not only informed — they are personal.
IPIC helps individuals and families:
— Clarify individual priorities
What feels most important to preserve, accept, or avoid.
— Name goals and concerns
What someone hopes for, wants to protect, or is most concerned about.
— Understand tolerance for risk and uncertainty
How people weigh probabilities, burdens, and unknowns differently.
Choices are then considered in relation to these priorities, so that decisions reflect not only medical possibilities, but the person’s sense of what gives those choices meaning in context of their life and circumstances.
Supporting Decisions That Endure
When understanding and alignment are both present, decisions tend to feel more settled over time. Even when outcomes are difficult or uncertain, people are more likely to feel that choices were thoughtful, intentional, and consistent with who they are.
Clarifying personal priorities often provides direction in moments of uncertainty. When priorities are made explicit — what someone hopes to preserve, avoid, or remain true to — decisions can take shape around those anchors, even when choices involve tradeoffs or difficult outcomes.
This approach informs all of IPIC’s work — with individuals and families, with surrogate decision-makers, and with professionals and organizations seeking to strengthen decision support in clinical care.
You don’t need to have everything figured out to begin.
A first conversation can help clarify whether and how IPIC might be useful for your situation.