Effects of Design Features of Explicit Values Clarification Methods: A Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Health decision-making research
• Patient values clarification
• Evidence-based practice

Background:

• Numerous methods exist to help individuals clarify their values.
• It is crucial to identify which design features of these methods effectively support values clarification for health decisions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of design features in explicit values clarification methods.
• To assess effects on decisional conflict, values congruence, and decisional regret.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search across multiple databases (MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, etc.) and expert contacts.
• Inclusion of articles evaluating explicit values clarification methods, extracting data on evaluation context and results.
• Integration of extracted data with information on method design features from a prior review.

Main Results:

• 20 evaluations of values clarification methods were identified in 19 articles.
• Significant heterogeneity in reported outcomes was observed; few studies reported values congruence or postdecision outcomes.
• Explicitly demonstrating the implications of personal values for decision options emerged as a promising design feature.

Conclusions:

• A meta-analysis was not feasible due to outcome heterogeneity; results require cautious interpretation.
• Experimental evaluation of values clarification methods is limited, necessitating further research.
• Future research should focus on determining the effects of various design features and establishing best practices, including assessing values congruence and long-term outcomes.