How to develop web-based decision support interventions for patients : a process map

Significant advances have been made in the development of decision support interventions, also called decision aids, for patients facing difficult or uncertain decisions. However, challenges related to the definition, the theoretical underpinnings, the relative contribution of different components and how to migrate these tools to the Internet, remain unresolved. We propose a systematic process map for others to consider as they develop web-based, perhaps multimedia, decision support interventions and to examine the future challenges faced by developers.