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Shared decision-making (SDM) is a process through which patients and providers collaborate to select a treatment option that aligns with patients' preferences and clinical context. SDM can improve patients' decision quality and satisfaction. However, vulnerable populations face barriers to participation in SDM, which exacerbates disparities in decision quality. This perspective article discusses SDM with vulnerable patients, using examples from patients who made decisions about postmastectomy breast reconstruction. We offer several strategies for clinical practice, medical education, and research to ensure that movements to engage patients in SDM do not exclude already marginalized groups.

Fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD), a disease well described in the renal and cerebrovascular circulations, also manifests in the lower extremity (LE) arteries. This study reports on the clinical presentation, imaging findings, and treatment of patients with LE FMD seen at a single center. Over a 7-year span, 100 of 449 patients with FMD had imaging of the LE arteries, of which 62 were found to have LE FMD (13.8% of the entire FMD cohort including patients with and without LE imaging). The majority of patients were women (96.8%), with an average age of 52 ± 11.3 years at the time of diagnosis. All patients had FMD present in another vascular bed, most commonly in the renal (80.6%) and extracranial carotid arteries (79.0%). Most patients had multifocal FMD (95.2%) and bilateral LE disease (69.4%), with the external (87.1%), common (19.4%), and internal (11.3%) iliac arteries most commonly affected. Presenting symptoms of LE involvement included claudication (22.6%), atypical leg symptoms (14.5%), and dissection (6.5%), but most patients were asymptomatic (71.0%). Nearly all patients were managed conservatively (98.4%) and only 1 patient required intervention.

Shared decision-making is recommended for decisions with multiple reasonable options, yet clinicians often subtly or explicitly guide choices. Using purposive sampling, we performed a secondary analysis of 142 audio-recorded encounters between 13 surgeons and women eligible for breast-conserving surgery with radiation or mastectomy. We trained 9 surgeons in shared decision-making and provided them one of two conversation aids; 4 surgeons practiced as usual. Based on a published taxonomy of treatment recommendations (pronouncements, suggestions, proposals, offers, assertions), we examined how surgeons framed choices with patients. Many surgeons made assertions providing information and advice (usual care 71% vs. intervention 66%; p = 0.54). Some made strong pronouncements (usual care 51% vs. intervention 36%; p = .09). Few made proposals and offers, leaving the door open for deliberation (proposals usual care 21% vs. intervention 26%; p = 0.51; offers usual care 40% vs. intervention 40%; p = 0.98). Surgeons were significantly more likely to describe options as comparable when using a conversation aid, mentioning this in all intervention group encounters (usual care 64% vs. intervention 100%; p<0.001). Conversation aids can facilitate offers of comparable options, but other conversational actions can inhibit aspects of shared decision-making.