© 2000 Evidence-Based Nursing
Review: healthcare decision aids improve knowledge, decrease decisional conflict, and increase active participation
O'Connor AM, Rostom A, Fiset V, et al.Decision aids for patients facing health treatment or screening decisions: systematic review.BMJ 1999 Sep 18;319:731–4
QUESTION: Do decision aids (interventions providing information on options and outcomes designed to help people make specific and deliberate choices related to their health) used as adjuncts to counselling by healthcare practitioners, improve decision making and outcomes for people making treatment or screening decisions?
Studies were identified by searching Medline (1966 to April 1998), EMBASE/Excerpta Medica (1980 to November 1998), PsycINFO (1979 to March 1998), CINAHL (1983 to February 1998), Aidsline (1980–98), CancerLit (1983 to April 1998), Cochrane Library (1998, Issue 4), personal files, and 3 healthcare journals.
Randomised controlled trials were selected if decision aids were compared with controls or alternative interventions and participants were >14 years of age and were making healthcare choices about treatment and screening. Studies were excluded that used hypothetical situations or choices about lifestyle, participation in a clinical trial, advance directives, general education, or compliance issues.
Data were extracted on numbers of participants, choices considered, and outcomes (knowledge, decisional conflict, decisions made, satisfaction, anxiety, and participation in decision making).
17 studies (3 screening and 8 treatment decisions) met the inclusion criteria. Decision aids improved knowledge scores (weighted mean difference in point score, 19 out of 100, 95% CI
Lecturer, School of Nursing Midwifery and Health Visiting University of Manchester Manchester, UK
CiteULike 
Complore 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us 
Digg 
Reddit 
Technorati What's this?
Services
- Email this link to a friend
- Similar articles in this journal
- Add article to my folders
- Download to citation manager
- Request Permissions
Citing Articles
Google Scholar
PubMed
Topic Collections
Bookmark with
Register for free content
The full back archive is now available for all BMJ Journals. Institutional subscribers may access the entire archive as part of their subscription. Personal subscribers will also have access to all content when logged in. Non-subscribers who register have free access to all articles published before 2006 right back to volume 1 issue 1. Register here to access the free archive of all BMJ Journals.
Don't forget to sign up for content alerts so you keep up to date with all the articles as they are published.
