Online Tool Enhances Decision-Making for Timing of Breast Reconstruction

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 9, 2024 (HealthDay News) — An online decision aid is helpful for breast cancer patients deciding about immediate breast reconstruction (BR) after mastectomy, according to a study published in the October issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

Jacqueline A. ter Stege, from the Netherlands Cancer Institute in Amsterdam, and colleagues evaluated the efficacy of an online decision aid in improving the decision-making process, decision quality, and health outcomes in 250 breast cancer patients considering immediate BR. Participants were allocated to the intervention (care as usual with access to an online decision aid) or the control group (care as usual with an information leaflet).

The researchers found that decisional conflict decreased over time in both groups, with no between-group differences. Participants in the intervention group felt better prepared for decision-making than controls. At three months after BR surgery, 87 percent of intervention participants were very satisfied with the information about BR compared with 73 percent of control participants. There were no significant between-group differences for any other outcome.

“The online format of the patient decision aid more easily allows for adaptions required by future developments in BR options and scientific evidence, and for the further tailoring of information to patients’ personal situation and information needs,” the authors write.

Abstract/Full Text