Treatment-Related Decision Fatigue in Patients With Recurrent Papillary Thyroid Cancer: A Qualitative Study

The purpose of this study was to explore the experience of treatment-related decision fatigue in patients with recurrent papillary thyroid cancer. Patients with recurrent papillary thyroid carcinoma who were followed up in thyroid surgery wards and outpatient clinics of three tertiary hospitals in Jiangsu Province were included in this study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted from January to April 2024. Inductive content analysis was used to identify themes. A total of 21 participants, aged 24-58 years, were interviewed. Two themes and six sub-themes were identified: manifestations of decision fatigue including impulsive decision making, hesitation, aggravation of negative emotions, and decision making is a burden; and consequences of decision fatigue including decision regret and delay in decision making. Our study identified the manifestations and adverse consequences of decision fatigue in patients with recurrent papillary thyroid cancer, and helped medical staff to identify and develop personalized interventions as early as possible to help patients make appropriate treatment decisions and improve the quality of decision-making and patient treatment outcomes.