OPADIA Study: Is a Patient Questionnaire Useful for Enhancing Physician-Patient Shared Decision Making on Physical...

Area of Science:

• Endocrinology
• Diabetes Management
• Health Behavior Change

Background:

• Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) management guidelines emphasize regular physical activity (PA).
• Effective strategies are needed to enhance PA in T2DM patients through improved physician-patient communication and shared decision-making.
• The OPADIA study investigated the Optima-PA questionnaire's impact on these factors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate if the Optima-PA questionnaire enhances physician-patient communication and shared decision-making for T2DM patients.
• To determine if the questionnaire facilitates the setting of Specific, Measurable, Acceptable, Realistic, Timely (SMART)-PA micro-objectives.
• To assess the impact of the questionnaire and patient-centeredness on PA levels over three months.

Main Methods:

• A multicentre, prospective, randomised study comparing a standard care group with an OPTIMA-PA group using the questionnaire.
• Primary outcome: percentage of visits with at least one SMART-PA micro-objective set.
• Secondary outcomes: patient perceptions of shared decision-making, physician empathy, GP patient-centeredness, and PA levels (using ENTRED, SEPCQ, and IPAQ-SF questionnaires).

Main Results:

• The standard group unexpectedly achieved more SMART-PA micro-objectives (81.1%) than the OPTIMA-PA group (59.7%).
• Fewer patients in the OPTIMA-PA group felt physicians made decisions alone (32% vs. 60%).
• Positive correlations found between GP patient-centeredness, perceived physician empathy, and increased patient PA.

Conclusions:

• The Optima-PA questionnaire did not directly increase SMART-PA micro-objective setting in T2DM patients.
• The tool effectively improved patient-physician relationships and patient involvement in therapeutic decisions.
• GP patient-centeredness is crucial for enhancing physical activity in T2DM management.