Evidence Summary
What is an Evidence Summary?
Key messages from scientific research that's ready to be acted on
Got It, Hide thisDecision aids improve knowledge in people making decisions about cancer screening or early cancer treatment
Trikalinos TA, Wieland LS, Adam GP, et al. Decision Aids for Cancer Screening and Treatment AHRQ Comparative Effectiveness Reviews. Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US); 2014 Dec. Report No: 15-EHC002-EF.
Review question
Do decision aids help people make decisions about cancer screening, cancer prevention, or treatment for early cancer?
Background
There are often both harms and benefits to consider when making decisions about screening for cancer and treatment for cancer. Decision aids provide information to help people take an active role in making informed decisions about their health care options with the help of their health care providers. They can help by increasing people’s knowledge of what’s involved, what’s at stake, and what options are available. Thus, decision aids make people feel more informed when making health care decisions.
How the review was done
The researchers did a systematic review, searching for published studies of decision aids up to June 2014. They found 68 randomized controlled trials of 25,337 people.
In the trials, people were making decisions about screening or early cancer treatment for breast, prostate, colon, ovarian, cervical, or thyroid cancer. Decision aids were provided at the time of the actual decision.
Types of decision aids included audio and visual media, software or websites, printed materials, option grids, and in-person education.
What the researchers found
Compared with not using decision aids, the use of decision aids:
- increased people’s knowledge about the different options;
- slightly reduced decisional conflict (feeling uninformed); and
- did not affect anxiety.
Conclusions
In people who have to make a decision about screening for cancer or early treatment for cancer, decision aids increase knowledge about the different options and reduce the number of people who feel uninformed or unclear about their options. Use of decision aids did not affect anxiety.
Use of decision aids vs not using decision aids for making decisions about screening for cancer or early treatment for cancer
| Outcomes | Number of trials (number of people) | Effect of using decision aids vs no decision aids | Quality of evidence |
| Knowledge | 38 trials (12,484 people) | Knowledge increased | High |
| Decisional conflict (feeling uninformed) | 28 trials (7923 people) | People felt slightly more informed ( about 2 to 10 points out of 100) | Moderate |
| Anxiety | 12 trials (2958 people) | Anxiety did not differ between groups | High |
Glossary
Studies where people are assigned to one of the treatments purely by chance.
A comprehensive evaluation of the available research evidence on a particular topic.
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