Trial of Two Decision Aids for Colon Cancer Screening. Abstract, ExecutiveSummary, and Final Report

摘要

This randomized controlled trial compared the effects of a patient decision aidbased on multicriteria decision making theory with those of a simple educational intervention on the process and outcome of decisions regarding colorectal cancer screening for average risk patients. Ninety six patients seen in a primary care office in Rochester, New York participated. After controlling for the effects of the physicians in a factorial analysis of variance, patients who used the decision aid had lower decisional conflict regarding colorectal cancer screening decisions (F ratio 6.47, p = 0.01). This improvement in patient decision process was due to increased knowledge, better clarity of values, and higher patient ratings of the quality of the decisions they made. There was no difference between the groups in decision outcomes: 52% of patients in the control group and 49% in the experimental group completed planned screening tests (p = 1.0). These results indicate that a multicriteria-based patient decision aid for colorectal cancer screening improved patients' decision making processes regarding colorectal cancer screening but had no effect on the implementation of screening decisions.