Shared decision-making interventions in neuro-oncology practice: a systematic review

Shared decision-making (SDM) has been shown to be beneficial to patients and improve health outcomes. While more research is being conducted on the topic of SDM, the incorporation of interventions to facilitate or improve SDM in neuro-oncology has not been widely studied. This study aimed to systematically review the types and impact of SDM interventions used in neuro-oncology.

Systematic searches were conducted in Medline, Embase, Global Health, Cinahl, Web of Science, and Scopus from inception to May 2024. Full-text, peer-reviewed articles were evaluated based on inclusion criteria. Data extracted from articles included the author, year, location, type of intervention, and variable outcomes.

The searches resulted in 4674 original articles. Four studies with a total of 172 patients diagnosed with anaplastic oligodendroglioma, anaplastic astrocytoma, high-grade glioma (HGG), low-grade glioma (LGG), glioblastoma, and brain metastases met the inclusion criteria. Types of SDM interventions included SDM training for health care workers, decision grids, three-dimensional (3D) printed models of brain tumors, goals of care videos, and an online tool providing information on disease progression. Overall impact of SDM interventions resulted in improvement in patients' understanding of their medical condition, treatment options, and satisfaction with the SDM process.

SDM can be improved through the use of interventions and aids and can have a positive impact on brain tumor patients. However, there is a significant gap within neuro-oncology literature on SDM interventions. Therefore, to understand how to best improve SDM from the perspective of patients, there is a pressing need for more research on SDM interventions in neuro-oncology.