Ariane Laplante-Lévesque, Louise Hickson, and Linda Worrall, Communication Disability Cen- tre, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Queensland. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Ariane Laplante-Lévesque, Com- munication Disability Centre, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Queens- land, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia 4072. Telephone: +61 7 3346 7453. Fax: +61 7 3365 1877. E-mail: ariane@uq.edu.au 27 CONTRIBUTED PAPERS A Qualitative Study of Shared Decision Making in Rehabilitative Audiology Ariane Laplante-Lévesque, Louise Hickson, and Linda Worrall University of Queensland This study examined rehabilitative audiology clients’ experiences with shared decision making. Adults with acquired hearing impairment and with no previ- ous experience of rehabilitative audiology were recruited for a shared decision making clinical trial. A sample of 22 participants completed an in-depth inter- view which was transcribed and analyzed using content analysis. The results were organized into an evidence-based model of rehabilitative audiology shared decision making. Participants described decision making by its actors, processes, and dimensions. Two themes, “my story” and “trust,” highlight the importance of a client-centered and ethical approach to shared decision making in rehabilitative audiology. Acquired hearing impairment is a prevalent chronic health condition and has se- rious consequences (for a review, see Laplante-Lévesque, Hickson, & Worrall, 2010c). Fortunately, rehabilitation interventions such as hearing aids and group and individual communication programs are effective (Chisolm et al., 2007; Hickson, Worrall, & Scarinci, 2006; Kramer, Allessie, Dondorp, Zekveld, & Kapteyn, 2005; Sweetow & Henderson Sabes, 2006; Thibodeau, 2007). As out- lined in the preceding companion article (Laplante-Lévesque, Hickson, & Wor- rall, 2010b), approaches that promote client participation in their health such as client-centeredness, joint goal setting, and shared decision making hold promise for the rehabilitation of people with acquired hearing impairment.