Nancy Muir, Shared Decision Making & Ultramarathons

This week, I speak with Nancy Muir, a pediatric physical therapist based at the University of Colorado Aurora, beyond this, she is an expert on hip dysplasia, having been diagnosed running an ultra-marathon and she has been very forthcoming and gracious in sharing her story.   My relationship with Nancy spans several years, and we have worked closely together since she founded the nonprofit organization, Miles for Hips. This organization, which she established in partnership with the International Hip Dysplasia Institute, serves as a beacon of patient advocacy and awareness.   She shares her unique and often challenging journey with adult hip dysplasia, a story that many listeners may find relatable. She also delves into her decision-making process when she was considering surgery.   She talks about getting multiple medical opinions but still not finding the comprehensive information she needed about her condition, the treatment options, and potential outcomes.   We talk about a paper she is due to have published, which looks at decision aids for adult patients considering periacetabular osteotomy surgery, which she developed as part of the efforts to earn her title of Doctor of Health Science from Drexel University in 2023    We discuss qualitative research and patient expectations of receiving information at a medical visit.   We consider so-called shared decision-making, what that term means, and why it has limitations.   We talk about individual needs to understand health conditions and their huge variation, from the level of detail they want to the type of information that helps make decisions.   She provides great insight and tools that patients and healthcare providers can apply to provide tailored treatment.