Exploratory Research on Factors Related to Difficulty in Decision Making in Elderly Patients with Cancer
- VernacularTitle:高齢患者のがん治療方針における意思決定困難に関する要因に関する探索的研究─医師に対するインタビューから─
- Author:
Kei HIRAI
1
;
Asayo YAMAMURA
1
;
Nanami SUZUKI
2
;
Asao OGAWA
1
Author Information
- Keywords: decision-making; SDM; elderly patient; medical communication
- From:Palliative Care Research 2021;16(1):27-34
- CountryJapan
- Language:Japanese
- Abstract: Objective: The purpose of this study is to clarify the characteristics of cases where decision-making is difficult and how the medical staff can deal with them in the medical field. Method: Seven oncology physicians were interviewed. The survey items include cases where decision-making is difficult, how to deal with them, and decision support. Category analysis was performed based on verbatim records. Results: First, the cases where decision-making is difficult were divided into two categories: patient factors and environmental factors. The former is further divided into two subcategories: “personal factors” include personality and, intellectual ability and “factors due to diseases and aging” that included flailing of body parts and dementia. Further, there were three categories of medical staff’s strategies: assessment, response skills, and environmental approach. Discussion: In providing information to patients, it is necessary to respond according to the patient’s intellectual state environmental factors to promote understanding. Specifically, it is effective to use patient-specific explanations, target planning, and nudges.
