Shared decision-making (SDM) is a crucial aspect of ensuring patients with alopecia areata (AA) are satisfied with the quality of their treatment. Clinicians are encouraged to implement SDM as often as possible when devising a treatment strategy for patients with AA.
The treatment landscape for alopecia areata (AA) can be complex to navigate. With several options and treatment strategies available for adult patients with AA, shared decision-making (SDM) may be ideal for ensuring patients are satisfied with the quality of their treatment. The efficacy, side effects, and administration of treatments can all affect how a patient perceives the quality of their treatment, making SDM a vital aspect of AA treatment plans.
U.S. researchers conducted a study to evaluate patient preferences for SDM and how SDM may affect decisional regret. The study was carried out through a cross-sectional online survey using the SDMQ9 scale and the Decisional Regret Scale (DRS). The survey data included: patient preferences regarding SDM for treatment decisions, their perception of their last decision, the components of SDM included in their last treatment decision, and the level of decisional regret from their last decision.
Of 1,387 participants who started the survey, 1,074 completed it and were included in the analysis. Many survey participants (46.8%) preferred making the final treatment decision themselves after hearing their physician’s opinion. The components of SDM that participants most commonly reported as being used by their dermatologists included: explaining treatment advantages and disadvantages, and asking which treatment option the patient prefers. Implementing SDM was found to be associated with decreased decisional regret.
Patients are more likely to report a higher quality of treatment decisions with SDM. Accordingly, healthcare providers are encouraged to incorporate SDM in determining the best treatment option for patients with AA. In addition, recommending effective therapies, such as JAK inhibitors, may be associated with lower decisional regret.
Source:
Reyes-Hadsall, S., Drake, L., Han, J. J., Lee, K. J., Zhou, G., Mostaghimi, A., & Huang, K. P. (2022). Shared Decision-Making, Therapeutic Choice, and Decisional Regret in Patients With Alopecia Areata. JAMA Dermatol. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamadermatol.2022.3025
