Factors affecting the treatment decision making of patients with wet age- related macular degeneration: A qualitative study in China

Abstract

Background: The treatment decision making of patients with wet age-related macular degeneration （WAMD）is a very complex process，However, the influencing factors of WAMD in treatment decision making have not been well described.Methods: We performed a patient led qualitative study to explore patient experiences with decision-making processes when admitted to hospital with wet age-related macular degeneration. A qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews was used. Analysis was conducted using the thematic analysis approach. Results: Twenty-six patients with WAMD participated in the study. Four major themes were identified from the original data analysis. These themes included patient level (interpersonal characteristics of the patient, confidence in one’s own disease knowledge, expectations of the outcome of being involved in treatment decision making, weighting benefits or risks from others’ experiences, and self-efficacy in decision making); clinician level (interpersonal characteristics of the clinician, technical terms used by doctors, providing relevant information about options, and decision support); interaction level (doctor–patient communication, unbalanced relationship between doctors and patients, and patients fully trusting the doctor’s decision); and the system level (discontinuity of visits, lack of sufficient communication time, and insufficient system configuration).Conclusion: Our study has identified the influencing factors of treatment decision making in patients with WAMD during treatment. According to these influencing factors, we can construct patient decision-making assistance tools and formulate intervention models to provide a theoretical basis for patients to participate in treatment decision making effectively.

Factors Influencing Participation in Shared Decision-Making Among Patients with Glaucoma in China: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Similar findings to the above have been found in other study. 30 Decision aids may be able to improve patients' medical knowledge, help weigh the pros and cons of different treatment options and improve the quality of decision making. 4 Therefore, medical staff could consider using simple language or providing decision aids to help patients better understand complex medical information, while increasing the time or frequency of communication with patients whenever possible to enhance their enthusiasm for participating in SDM.…”