Patient priorities and decision-making process when choosing between colonic investigation alternatives: a...

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Patient Experience
• Medical Decision Making

Background:

• Understanding patient preferences is crucial for optimizing gastrointestinal diagnostic procedures.
• Previous research has not fully elucidated patient priorities regarding colonic investigations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore patients' perceptions of decision-making processes.
• To identify patient priorities for test attributes in colonic investigations.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with patients awaiting colonoscopy or colon capsule endoscopy (CCE).
• A purposive sampling strategy ensured diversity in participant demographics and awaited test.
• Data were analyzed using phenomenological and thematic analysis.

Main Results:

• Patients reported varied involvement in decision-making, ranging from no involvement to clinician-guided choices.
• Diagnostic quality (accuracy, cancer exclusion) was the paramount concern.
• Waiting time, pain/discomfort, and test invasiveness were also significant factors.

Conclusions:

• Patient priorities for colonic investigations include diagnostic accuracy, acceptable waiting times, and minimized discomfort.
• Improvements in shared decision-making are needed to enhance patient care and satisfaction.
• Further research should quantify the value patients place on these identified attributes.