Shared Decision Making in Hallux Valgus Surgery: A Prospective Observational Study.

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Patient-Reported Outcomes
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Patient-physician communication is crucial for improving healthcare experiences.
• Shared decision-making (SDM) empowers patients and can enhance satisfaction and outcomes.
• Hallux Valgus (HV) correction is a common orthopedic procedure where SDM may play a role.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between the perception of SDM and patient characteristics.
• To determine the relationship between SDM perception and patient-reported outcomes following HV surgery.

Main Methods:

• Prospective observational study of 306 patients undergoing Hallux Valgus surgery.
• Utilized the CollaboRATE score to quantify patient perception of SDM.
• Employed multivariable linear regression to analyze associations between SDM scores, preoperative factors, and postoperative outcomes.

Main Results:

• The average CollaboRATE score was 2.9 (SD 0.9), with no significant differences based on age, sex, or socioeconomic status.
• Lower SDM perception scores were significantly associated with higher depressive symptoms, lower socioeconomic status, and poorer general health.
• No significant association was found between SDM scores and postoperative outcome scores.

Conclusions:

• Patients undergoing Hallux Valgus surgery who reported lower perceptions of shared decision-making also reported more depressive symptoms and lower socioeconomic status.
• Perception of SDM did not influence postoperative outcomes in this cohort.
• Further research may explore interventions to improve SDM for vulnerable patient populations in orthopedic surgery.