Factors Influencing Implementation Of Shared Medical Decision Making In Patients With Cancer

Abstract

Purpose: Shared decision making promotes patient participation in medical decisions. This study aims to explore the decision-making situation and influencing factors in patients with cancer. Patients and methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted for patient with cancers in regional teaching hospitals in northern Taiwan using short-form Mandarin Health Literacy Scale (s-MHLS) and Shared Decision Making Questionnaire (SDM-Q-9), with total 120 cases collected from January 15 to April 30, 2018. Results: Overall health literacy in patients with cancer is 86.52%, and degree of shared decision making is 89.63%; higher education level indicated better health literacy (pConclusion: Improving health literacy is indispensable to promote patient participation in shared decision making in the highly professional medical field. Education level directly affects health literacy; therefore, in the future, providing disease-matching health education is crucial for patients with lower education levels to enhance their health literacy. Health literacy directly affects shared decision making; therefore, more active assistance in achieving patient health literacy is crucial to implement shared decision making.