Journal of Patient Care

Abstract

Implementing Shared Decision Making In Clinical Practice: Outcomes of a New Shared Decision Making Aid for Chronic Inflammatory Arthritis Patients

Yasser EM, Maha El Gaafary, Sally Sayed, Deborah Palmer and Ihab Ahmed

Objective: To develop and evaluate an evidence-based shared decision making (SDM) aid for patients with chronic arthritic conditions to inform them about the pros and cons of their treatment options and to help them make an informed shared decision.

Methods:A multidisciplinary team defined criteria for the SDM as to design, medical content and functionality, particularly for elderly users. Development was according to the international standard (IPDAS). 174 patients with rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis, who were either treated or not yet treated, evaluated the tool, in a randomized controlled study, in comparison to control group composed of 171 patients treated according to standard methods.

Results: The SDM aid was developed to offer information about the disease, the risks and benefits of treatment. 98% of the patients included reported comprehensibility of >85/100. There was no significant difference between the online and paper format SDM aids. The patients’ adherence to anti-rheumatic therapy was significantly (p<0.1) higher in the SDM group, whereas stopping DMARDs for intolerability was significantly (p<0.01) higher in the control group at 12 months of treatment.

Conclusion:This evidence-based SDM aid for inflammatory arthritis patients, developed according to IPDAS criteria, was found to be a simple, user-friendly tool which can be implemented in standard clinical practice. It offered the chronic arthritis patients evidence-based information about the pros and cons of treatment options, improved patients’ understanding of the disease, communication with their treating clinician as well as ability to make an informed decision.