Gaps in Patient-Centered Decision-Making Related to Complex Surgery: A Mixed-Methods Study

Area of Science:

• Surgical Decision-Making
• Patient-Centered Care
• Health Outcomes Research

Background:

• Understanding surgeon perceptions of patient roles in decision-making is crucial for effective patient-centered decision-making (PCDM).
• Surgeons performing complex procedures were surveyed to explore their views on patient involvement in healthcare choices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate surgeons' perceptions of patient preferences in decision-making.
• To examine surgeons' approaches to patient-centered decision-making (PCDM).

Main Methods:

• A concurrent embedded mixed-methods design was employed.
• Online surveys were administered to a cohort of surgeons performing complex surgical procedures.
• Statistical analyses examined associations between surgeon perceptions and PCDM approaches.

Main Results:

• A large majority of surgeons (94.2%) agreed that patients prefer to make their own health decisions after considering physician advice.
• Most surgeons (73.0%) disagreed that patients prefer physicians to make decisions for them.
• Only 12.2% of surgeons reported assessing patient preferences for both decision-making and information needs.

Conclusions:

• Surgeons generally perceive that patients desire autonomy in health decisions.
• Optimizing patient experience and outcomes in complex surgery may benefit from a greater focus on the information surgeons need to tailor PCDM.