The Importance of Shared Decision-Making for Patients with Glioblastoma

Abstract

Navigating care for patients with cancer can be overwhelming considering the multiple specialists they encounter and the numerous decisions they must make. For patients with glioblastoma (GBM), management is further complicated by a poor prognosis, feelings of isolation, urgency to treat, and cognitive decline associated with this rare and progressive disease. For these reasons, it is imperative that shared decision-making (SDM) be integrated into standard practice to ensure that the risks and benefits of all treatments are discussed and weighed with the patient’s expectations and goals in mind. In this manuscript, the importance of SDM in GBM and the potential benefits to the practice and patient are discussed from the unique perspective of advocacy leaders. Their insights from interactions with patients and caregivers provide a template for empowering patients, improving patient-physician communication and understanding, and reducing patient and caregiver anxieties. Ultimately, increased SDM may lead to a better quality of life and improved treatment outcomes.

Status quo of advanced cancer patients participating in shared decision- making in China: A mixed study

“…The latest NICE guideline de nes shared decision-making (SDM) as a collaborative process that involves a person and their health care professional working together to reach a joint decision about care [9]. Studies have shown that SDM improves cancer screening rates [10], reduces patients' emotional cognitive impairment [11,12], improves their quality of life, inpatient satisfaction and treatment outcomes [13][14][15]. However, there are differences in patients' attitudes toward SDM and decision-making role tendencies.…”

Understanding how shared decision‐making approaches and patient aids influence patients with advanced cancer when deciding on palliative treatments and care: A realist review

“…70 Decision support tools and approaches need to be adaptable to ensure patients' varying cultural backgrounds, needs and preferences are supported, particularly where patients have additional educational needs 62 and varying cognitive abilities. 68 Previous studies have provided evidence that Internet/digital delivery can provide the right information (rapidly updated), to the right person (tailored), at the right time (the appropriate point in the decision-making process). 71 However, only a few relevant studies in this review explored the use of digital support tools with patients with advanced cancer and therefore changes in how people interact with technology for decision making should be considered when designing an intervention.…”

Development of a Patient Decision Aid to Support Shared Decision Making for Patients with Recurrent High-Grade Glioma

“…The uncertainty concerning treatment outcomes and the trade-offs between benefits and disadvantages make it essential to involve patients and include their values and preferences in the decision-making process [ 9 ]. Based on this, an increasing focus on patient involvement and shared decision making (SDM) is emerging within neuro-oncology, suggesting that neuro-oncology patients want to be involved in SDM regarding their treatment and care [ 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ].…”