title: Lung cancer treatment decisions: patients' desires for participation and information.
abstract: This study examined responses of 21 lung cancer outpatients to questions about their desired and actual levels of involvement in treatment decisions, and about information needed for treatment decision-making. A 'treatment trade-off' interview was used to assess patients' preferences for hypothetical treatment options. Desired roles in decisions are examined in relation to treatment preference and information needs. Forty-three percent of patients recalled desiring an active/collaborative role in their real treatment decision. For 29% of patients, there was a discrepancy between their recalled desired role and their recalled actual role; in each of these cases the patient had been less involved in the decision than they had desired. At the time of the interview (mean 26 months post-treatment), 57% of patients desired an active or collaborative role in treatment decisions. The majority of patients rated the following types of information as 'essential' to treatment decisions: details of the treatment regimen, early and late side-effects, survival, and effects of treatment on disease symptoms. The data suggest that: we should be attentive to the individual's desired role in treatment decisions at each step of care to avoid a mismatch between desired and actual involvement; desired role in decision-making does not predict treatment preference; and patients generally want a wide variety of information on treatment options in order to participate in treatment decisions.
authors.affiliation: The Radiation Oncology Research Unit, Department of Oncology, Queen's University, Kingston Regional Cancer Centre and Kingston General Hospital, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Davidson
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Brundage
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Feldman-Stewart
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D018288:Carcinoma, Small Cell / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D010358:Patient Participation / Q000523:psychology*; D010552:Personality Assessment