"The power in the approach is that it gives the patient time to consider the options, put personal thoughts and concerns on the table, and have a voice in the decision making process," says corresponding author Amy Leader Dr.P.H., M.P.H., Assistant Professor of Medical Oncology and researcher at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson.
The researchers recruited 30 prostate cancer patients who had localized, low-risk prostate cancer and who were candidates for active surveillance. After participating in the Decision Counseling Program© , patients had a higher level of knowledge about their treatment options, reported feeling less conflicted about the treatment decision, and had more favorable perceptions of active surveillance than they did at the outset of the study. Ultimately, 25 of the 30 participants, or 83 percent, decided to initiate active surveillance, a rate much higher than that typically observed in clinical practice.
Ad Statistics
Times Displayed: 31443
Times Visited: 833 Stay up to date with the latest training to fix, troubleshoot, and maintain your critical care devices. GE HealthCare offers multiple training formats to empower teams and expand knowledge, saving you time and money
The Decision Counseling Program©, applied here for prostate cancer treatment decision making, is a generic approach that can be applied to other areas of medicine, where options are available, decisions are difficult, and the stakes of decision making are high. "Another example of where this tool may be useful is in helping patients decide whether to participate in clinical trials. It's work we've already started," says Dr. Myers.
###
Article reference: R.E. Myers et al., "Decision Support and Shared Decision Making About Active Surveillance Versus Active Treatment Among Men Diagnosed with Low-Risk Prostate Cancer: a Pilot Study," J Cancer Educ., DOI: 10.1007/s13187-016-1073-7, 2016.
For more information, contact Edyta Zielinska, 215-955-5291, edyta.zielinska@jefferson.edu.
About Jefferson
Jefferson, through its academic and clinical entities of Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health, is reimagining health care for the greater Philadelphia region and southern New Jersey. Since its mergers with Abington Health and Aria Health, Jefferson now has 23,000 people dedicated to providing the highest-quality, compassionate clinical care for patients, educating the health professionals of tomorrow, and discovering new treatments and therapies to define the future of care. With a university and hospital that date to 1824, today Jefferson is comprised of six colleges, eight hospitals, 24 outpatient and urgent care locations, and a multitude of physician practices throughout the region, serving more than 96,000 inpatients, 363,000 emergency patients and 1.9 million outpatient visits annually.
For more information and a complete listing of Jefferson services and locations, visit http://www.jefferson.edu.
Back to HCB News
