Patient decision aids for patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma: development process and alpha and beta...

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Medical Informatics
• Patient-Centered Care

Background:

• Differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) presents complex treatment decisions, including surgical extent for low-risk cases and tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) initiation for advanced tumors.
• Patient decision aids (PtDAs) are crucial for facilitating shared decision-making in these scenarios.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate evidence-based patient decision aids (PtDAs) for two critical treatment decisions in differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC).
• To assess the usability, acceptability, and helpfulness of these PtDAs through iterative testing with patients and physicians.

Main Methods:

• PtDAs were developed adhering to International Patient Decision Aids Standards (IPDAS) criteria, incorporating literature, guidelines, and patient values.
• Iterative development involved alpha testing with 8 patients and 10 physicians, followed by beta testing with 20 patients.

Main Results:

• Alpha testing indicated high acceptability and usability of the PtDAs.
• Beta testing revealed that 18 out of 20 patients found the PtDAs readable and helpful, with all patients recommending their use.

Conclusions:

• Evidence-based PtDAs were successfully created for key DTC treatment decisions.
• The developed PtDAs were evaluated as clear, balanced, and beneficial for patient decision-making.