Concepts for the Development of Anesthesia-Related Patient Decision Aids

Abstract

Patient decision aids are educational tools used by health care providers to assist patients in choosing their treatment and care. The use of anesthesia-related patient decision aids can help practitioners provide patient-centered care by facilitating shared decision-making. The benefits of these aids have been well documented, yet a structured approach for developing patient decision aids in anesthesia has not been well established. Educating patients on various anesthesia-related options is paramount in their decision-making, yet accessible and validated resources are limited. In addition, many limitations exist with current patient decision aids that must be addressed. We have reviewed multiple processes for developing decision aids and have suggested a structured approach to their creation. We address the common limitations of current patient decision aids and provide improvements to the developmental process. Improvements include increasing patient input during development, thoroughly evaluating data included in the aids, and integrating a cyclic review of the aids before and after their use. Using the provided developmental process and checklist, anesthesia providers can create evidence-based patient decision aids in a standardized manner. It is important to evaluate decision aids and measure their decision quality, or patient-centeredness, to further improve them and maximize their effectiveness. Moving forward, development of proper metrics for patient participation and decision quality are required.

Awareness and its associated factors towards anesthesia and anesthetists’ among elective surgical patients in Debre Tabor Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, North Central Ethiopia 2021: Cross-sectional study

“…Patient awareness is an important component of anesthesia care service that helps patients to know the risk and benefits of anesthesia and the scope of practice of anesthetists. It also increases patient preference-based anesthesia services [ [1] , [2] , [3] ]. The awareness level of patients in developed countries ranges from 18% to -89 % [ 4 ].…”

“…Patient awareness about anesthesia and the role of anesthetists can be influenced by patient-related barriers such as poor educational level and anesthesia exposure, as well as health professionals’ related problems such as deficit in community awareness creation and patient education [ 3 , 10 , 11 ].…”

Enhanced recovery after surgery: Current status and future progress

“…Modern preoperative clinics constitute interdisciplinary collaborations, including preoperative anesthesia and surgical assessment and global optimization as well as patient engagement to achieve shared decision-making [21,22]. Shared decision-making tools may be used to aid patient decision-making [21,23] and improve patient-centered outcomes [24].…”

Decision Aids: The Role of the Patient in Perioperative Safety

“…The studies performed at the University of Washington are establishing a framework from which other medical centers can implement patient decision aids and large-scale shared decision-making programs. A recent paper by Urman et al describes a comprehensive format to develop high-quality patient decision aids and provides a step-by-step process that any institution can use (Table 3) 14 .…”

“…Addressing these areas of weakness is key to improving decision quality and employing patient decision aids is pivotal in the fight against healthcare disparities. Urman et al expressed concern that "current dissemination of guidelines and educational materials have been more inclined to assist physicians and healthcare professionals rather than patients" 14 . It has been found that "more interactive formats such as computerized versions appear to have a greater effect size compared to paper booklets or audiobooklets" 16 .…”