Preferences for and experiences of family involvement in cancer treatment decision‐making: patient–caregiver dyads study

Abstract

Most patients and family caregivers valued and expected family involvement in TDM. However, there is little explicit agreement in regard to which party in the dyad should take decisional leadership and who should play a supporting role.

Decision‐support networks of women newly diagnosed with breast cancer

“…1–6, 11, 26 Our study extends this work by revealing that the decision support network for newly diagnosed breast cancer patients is larger than previously understood. In fact, we found that the majority of breast cancer patients reported having large networks, defined in this study as having 3 or more informal DSPs, and we further discovered that these supporters often included family members and friends beyond just their partners or spouses.…”

The Role of Patients’ Families in Cancer Treatment Decision-Making: Perspectives among Eastern and Western families

“…15 Family members in such countries tend to believe that TDM should lie in the hands of the patient's family members and that these individuals should be involved directly in the TDM process, perhaps due to a strong sense of moral responsibility. 7,16 In certain Middle Eastern, North African and South Asian societies, the family has final authority in TDM, as often the patient is inseparably linked to the family as a whole. 17 For example, the majority of cancer patients in South Korea preferred shared TDM with their family members, although it was noted that there may be disagreements between family members and patients.…”

“…5,6 In another study of patient-caregiver dyads in Korea, most patients and caregivers valued and expected family involvement in TDM; however, there was little explicit agreement regarding which party in the dyad should take decisional leadership and which should play a supporting role. 7 Several studies have shown that cancer patients and their family members prefer family participation in TDM to some extent. [7][8][9] Among patients with advanced lung cancer in Belgium, Pardon et al reported that patients' family members regularly attended consultation and treatment appointments in order to provide emotional support, request further information and participate in the TDM process.…”

“…7 Several studies have shown that cancer patients and their family members prefer family participation in TDM to some extent. [7][8][9] Among patients with advanced lung cancer in Belgium, Pardon et al reported that patients' family members regularly attended consultation and treatment appointments in order to provide emotional support, request further information and participate in the TDM process. 10 A large, multiregional, prospective cohort study of newly diagnosed patients with lung and colorectal cancer undertaken in the USA found that most participants involved family members in treatment decisions.…”

“…17 For example, the majority of cancer patients in South Korea preferred shared TDM with their family members, although it was noted that there may be disagreements between family members and patients. 7 In a study from Pakistan, family members sometimes met the physician independently and gave consent for treatment on the patient's behalf. 18 Furthermore, physicians of cancer patients in China and Japan actually preferred to consult primarily with family members, giving these individuals the authority to decide whether to involve the patient in the TDM process at all.…”