Special Populations

Effective implementation of shared decision making can improve the informed consent process and potentially bridge health disparities among special populations.

Our Library

Below you will find samples of our most recent acquisitions in Special Populations, grouped by resource type.

A Multicentre Randomised Controlled Trial Assessing the Costs and Benefits of Using Structured Information and Analysis of Women's Preferences in the Management of Menorrhagia

May 14, 2012
Objectives To develop decision aids to provide evidence-based information and formal preference elicitation for women with menorrhagia; and to evaluate their effects on patient outcomes, patient management and cost effectiveness.…  Continue reading →
Posted in Cost, Patient Preferences, Special Populations | Tagged Angela Coulter, BMJ, cost-effective medical care, evidence-based medicine, menorrhagia, patient outcomes, women Permalink

Development of Instruments to Measure the Quality of Breast Cancer Treatment Decisions

May 9, 2012
Women with early-stage breast cancer face a multitude of decisions. The quality of a decision can be measured by the extent to which the treatment reflects what is most important to an informed patient. Reliable and valid measures of patients' knowledge and their goals and concerns related to breast cancer treatments are needed to assess the decision quality.…  Continue reading →
Posted in Decision Quality, Special Populations | Tagged breast cancer, breast cancer treatment, breast cancer treatment decisions, Carrie Levin, Karen Sepucha, Michael J. Barry Permalink

Decision Aid Tools to Support Women's Decision Making in Pregnancy and Birth: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

March 14, 2012
Support for a model of shared medical decision making, where women and their care providers discuss risks and benefits of their different options, reveal their preferences, and jointly make a decision, is a growing expectation in obstetric care. The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials evaluating the efficacy of different decision aid tools compared to regular care for women facing several option in the specific field of obstetric care. We included published studies about interventions designed to aid mothers' decision making and provide information about obstetrical treatment or screening options. …  Continue reading →
Posted in Patient Decision Aids, Patient Involvement, Patient Preferences, SDM in Maternity Care, Special Populations | Tagged childbirth, decision aids, decision support, decision-making, doctor-patient communication, health education, informed consent, obstetrics, patient-centered care, pregnant women, shared decision making, women Permalink

One Man at a Time -- Resolving the PSA Controversy

November 24, 2011
Who should decide about screening for prostate cancer: expert panels of clinicians and methodologists, primary care clinicians, specialists, or fully informed patients themselves? The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recently released a draft recommendation on screening for prostate cancer, designed for primary care physicians and health systems, and has opened if for public comment until November 8, 2011.…  Continue reading →
Posted in Special Populations | Tagged American Cancer Society, Mary McNaughton-Collins, NEJM, prostate cancer, prostate cancer screening, PSA, USPSTF Permalink

Helping Pregnant Women Make Better Decisions: A Systematic Review of the Benefits of Patient Decision Aids in Obstetrics

October 16, 2011
Objectives: Patient decision aids can be used to support pregnant women engaging in shared decisions, but little is known about their effects in obstetrics. The authors aimed to evaluate the effects of patient decision aids designed for pregnant women on clinical and psychosocial outcomes. Conclusions: Patient decision aids have the potential to improve obstetric care. However, currently the evidence base is limited by the small number of studies, the quality of the studies and because they involved heterogeneous decision aids, patient groups and outcomes.…  Continue reading →
Posted in Decision Aid Effectiveness, Patient Decision Aids, Patient Involvement, Patient Preferences, SDM in Maternity Care, Special Populations | Tagged BMJ, decision aids, decision support, decision-making, evidence-based medicine, external cephalic version, labour analgesia, obstetrics, pregnancy, pregnant women, shared decision making, women Permalink

Patient Information and Shared Decision-Making in Cancer Care

August 14, 2003
It is increasingly recognised that clinicians are not the only target audience for clinical guidelines. Patients also have a legitimate interest in learning about best practice, including evidence-based standards and treatment options. The developers of the SOR clinical practice guideline programme deserve commendation for their efforts to meet these information needs. In producing well-designed patients' versions of the guidelines, they have set a high standard that other producers of clinical guidelines would do well to emulate.…  Continue reading →
Posted in Patient Involvement, Patient Preferences, SDM Implementation, Special Populations | Tagged Angela Coulter, decision-making, evidence-based medicine, oncology, patients, shared decision making, treatment decisions Permalink

Effects of Decision Aids for Menorrhagia on Treatment Choices, Health Outcomes, and Costs: A Randomized Controlled Trial

December 4, 2002
The call for increased patient participation in treatment decision making has come from a range of different perspectives. Methods to achieve these aims have included the development of patient decision aids. These can provide evidence-based information on treatment options and outcomes, help patients consider the personal value they place on benefits vs harms, and participate in decision about their care. Decision aids come in a variety of formats including leaflets, audiotapes, decision boards, computer programs, videos, Web sites, and structured interviews.…  Continue reading →
Posted in Cost, Patient Decision Aids, Special Populations | Tagged Angela Coulter, cost-effective medical care, decision aids, health outcomes, JAMA, menorrhagia, treatment decisions, women Permalink

Randomised Controlled Trial of an Interactive Multimedia Decision Aid on Benign Prostatic Hypertorphy in Primary Care

April 6, 2001
The rationale for decision aids is addressed in the accompanying paper. Unlike hormone replacement therapy, prostate surgery is a "Rubicon" procedure -- that is, once undertaken it cannot be reversed. In the United States, a pilot study on the impact of a programme to aid in decisions about benign prostatic hyperplasia showed a 40% decrease in surgery rates. This finding was not replicated in a subsequent randomised controlled trial.…  Continue reading →
Posted in Patient Decision Aids, Patient Involvement, Special Populations | Tagged Angela Coulter, benign prostatic hyperplasia, BMJ, BPH, decision aids, decision-making, men, multimedia, primary care, prostatectomy, Shared Decision-Making® programs, treatment decisions Permalink

Randomized Controlled Trial of an Interactive Multimedia Decision Aid on Hormone Replacement Therapy in Primary Care

April 6, 2001
Decision aids to assist patients in deciding about health care have been welcomed as one solution for improving doctor-patient communication, providing information for patients, and addressing the shortcomings in much of the information available. Both patient outcomes and the rational use of health service resources may be improved by better provision of information.…  Continue reading →
Posted in Patient Decision Aids, Patient Involvement, Special Populations | Tagged Angela Coulter, decision aids, doctor-patient communication, health care, hormone replacement therapy, multimedia, patients, primary care, Shared Decision-Making® programs, women Permalink