Patients' preferences in therapeutic decision-making in digestive oncology: a single centre cross-sectional observational study

Abstract

Considering the preferences in Shared Decision Making (SDM) of patients with Digestive Cancer (DC) is crucial to ensure the quality of care. To date, there is limited information on preferences in SDM of patients with DC. The objectives of this study were to describe digestive cancer patients’ preference for involvement in therapeutic decision-making and to identify variables associated with these preferences. An observational prospective study in a French university cancer center has been conducted. Patients completed two questionnaires to qualify and quantify their preference for involvement in therapeutic decision-making: the Control Preference Scale (CPS) and the Autonomy Preference Index (API), which is composed of the Decision Making (DM) score and the Information Seeking (IS) score. Associations between these scores and socio-demographic data, disease-related data, coping strategies (Brief-COPE), physical (QLQ-C30) and psychological (HADS) quality of life were tested. One-hundred fifteen patients returned the questionnaires. The majority of patients reported a passive (49.1%) or a collaborative (43.0%) CPS status. The mean DM score was 39.4 Variables associated with decision-making preferences were occupational status and time since diagnosis. The identification of variables associated with patients' preferences for involvement in decision-making can help make clinicians aware of patients' needs and wishes. However, it can only be determined by interviewing the patient individually.

Approaches to information-seeking behaviour in psychology: a comparison of early and contemporary studies

“…For example, vanLieshout et al ( 2021) cited earlier noted that the motivation to reduce uncertainty, and the motivation to maximize positive information represent separate and independent drives. Nizet et al (2023), also cited earlier, found that individual preferences constituted motivation for information-seeking in the context of patient decision-making. Stoffel et al (2022) compared the effect of different temporal frames on informationseeking behaviour when the participants were presented with information on the incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC).…”

“…However, the reference lists of the thirty-two papers in the second set were checked and only four citations to information science literature on information-seeking were found. These were: Case and Given (2016) cited by Criado-Perez et al (2023); Case, et al (2005) cited by Restrepo-Castro, et al (2023), Madge (2023) cited by Nizet et al (2023), andWilson (2000) cited by Aguirre, et al (2022).…”

“…(p. 107) Other cognitive factors are given less attention in this body of research; for example, Criado-Perez, et al (2023), referring to evidence collection, rather than information seeking, and reflection on that evidence, find that, "decisionmaking accuracy is higher when decisionmakers are provided with the relevant evidence instead of actively seeking for it, and that cognitive reflection is an important predictor of decision-making accuracy" (p. 17). Other work on decision-making includes that by Nizet et al (2023) who studied the involvement of patients in decision-making on cancer therapies. However, they found no relationship between information-seeking and the desire for collaborative decision-making.…”