The Journal of family practice
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There is widespread variation in the prescribing patterns of postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy. While some degree of variation is expected, the systematic variation according to geographic region, physician gender, and medical specialty raises questions about how clinical decisions are made. ⋯ The primary care setting is proposed as the ideal context in which to study collaborative decision-making. Additional research is needed to more fully elucidate the value of collaborative decision-making with respect to clinical and quality-of-life outcomes, patient satisfaction with decision-making, and costs.