Aiding shared decision making in lung cancer screening: two decision tools.

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Public Health
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Shared decision making (SDM) is crucial for lung cancer screening, especially for underrepresented groups.
• Existing guidelines lack specifics on personal risk and outcomes for these populations.
• This study evaluates two SDM tools: Option Grids and Shouldiscreen.com.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the efficacy of Option Grids and Shouldiscreen.com in facilitating SDM for lung cancer screening.
• To assess decision regret and knowledge levels associated with each SDM tool.
• To identify optimal SDM strategies for diverse patient populations undergoing lung cancer screening.

Main Methods:

• A prospective trial involving 237 lung cancer screening patients randomized to Option Grids or Shouldiscreen.com.
• Patients completed CollaboRATE and Decision Regret questionnaires post-screening.
• Knowledge of lung cancer screening was assessed via a dedicated questionnaire.

Main Results:

• Both Option Grids and Shouldiscreen.com yielded positive SDM experiences and equivalent general knowledge.
• Shouldiscreen.com users showed less knowledge of screening complications (P=0.02).
• Patients using Shouldiscreen.com reported significantly higher decision regret (P=0.02).

Conclusions:

• Both SDM tools effectively facilitated shared decision making.
• Option Grids demonstrated superior outcomes by reducing decision regret and improving knowledge of screening complications.
• These findings highlight the importance of tailored SDM tools for lung cancer screening in diverse populations.