Learning shared decision-making in clinical practice

•The nuances of shared decision-making are learned in daily clinical practice.•The involvement of patients seems beneficial for learning shared decision-making.•Informal learning and role models play a significant part.•Reflective practice to stimulate knowledge/attitude/skill development is essential. To explore how shared decision-making (SDM) is learned in clinical practice according to professionals and patients. Focus group and individual interviews with interns (n = 9), residents (n = 12), senior physicians (n = 13), and (former) patients and relatives (n = 13) in fertility care and intensive care. Patients and professionals identified barriers and drivers for SDM related to patient, caregiver, and context. Participants agreed: the nuances of SDM are learned in practice, not during undergraduate medical education. Through observing and copying from other professionals, interns and residents describe building their personal “repertoire” of SDM skills, knowledge, and attitude. Professionals indicated it was helpful to see many different examples – both good and bad – of physicians in action. Learning SDM is a complicated task for both students and professionals in healthcare. Relevant factors are the involvement of patients, the role of informal learning processes and role models, and the importance of reflective practice. Learning SDM in practice requires 1) measures to lessen pressures on a meso and macro level that hinder SDM in practice, 2) inventive and precise training and education and paying explicit attention to informal learning processes in clinical practice and learning through role models.