Decisional Conflict Scale

The Decisional Conflict Scale (DCS) is a 16-item self-reported outcome measure that quantifies the degree of uncertainty, value ambivalence, and decision distress experienced by patients facing healthcare choices. Developed by Annette O'Connor in 1995, the DCS assesses five core domains: personal uncertainty, understanding of options and outcomes, clarity of personal values, perceived social support, and confidence in making the decision. It has become the gold standard for measuring decisional conflict in healthcare research and clinical trials of decision support interventions.