Do Decision Aids Address the Patients Decision-Making Needs?
Yes. Decision aids reduce uncertainty about what to choose, improve knowledge, create realistic expectations, clarify personal values, and make patients feel supported in decision making. Do Decision Aids Work Better Than Other Methods? Probably. The decision aids were superior to a pamphlet or usual care in creating realistic expectations of benefits and risks and in making patients feel more informed. The HRT decision aid did not improve test scores when compared with a pamphlet, but it did help women to clarify personal values and feel supported in decision making. With the anticoagulation decision aid, there was a trend toward improved clarity of values relative to usual care but no improvement in patients’ perception of support. Do Decision Aids Affect Choices? Variably. Compared with baseline or usual care, they usually reduce the proportion of patients who are uncertain about what to choose. Patients who are uncertain at baseline are most consistently affected by decision aids.
