How Inclusive Are Patient Decision Aids for People with Limited Health Literacy? An Analysis of Understandability Criteria and the Communication about Options and Probabilities.

Objective: Patient decision aids (PtDAs) can support shared decision making. We aimed to explore how inclusive PtDAs are for people with limited health literacy (LHL) by analyzing 1) the understandability of PtDAs using established criteria, 2) how options and probabilities of outcomes are communicated, and 3) the extent to which risk communication (RC) guidelines are followed.

Methods: In a descriptive document analysis, we analyzed Dutch PtDAs available in 2021 that met the International Patient Decision Aid Standards.

Integrated oncological treatment decision-making: Creating a practice of patient-centred decision-making.

The growing burden of cancer, with its costly and difficult to endure therapies, underscores the urgent need for individualized care that enhances patients' quality of life. Effective individualized treatment planning requires collaboration between healthcare professionals and patients (and their relatives), focusing on patients' personal values and preferences through shared decision-making. In practice, oncology care predominantly follows clinical guidelines, which, while reducing practice variation, may not account for individual patient differences in health status and preferences.

Shared challenges and opportunities: Uncovering common ground in patient participation across different healthcare settings and patient groups. A qualitative meta-summary on patient-reported barriers and facilitators to participation in shared decision-making.

Objective: We aim to provide an updated literature overview on patient-reported barriers and facilitators to participation in SDM across different patient groups and healthcare settings to uncover the 'common ground' and to reach for a more generalizable, uniform and inclusive insight in patients' perspective on participation in SDM.

Methodology: We conducted a qualitative meta-summary, using five databases. Search terms were based on the concepts: 'decision-making', 'patient participation', 'patient perceptions' and 'study design' (of patient reporting).

Redesigning telemedicine: preliminary findings from an innovative assisted telemedicine healthcare model.

Background: Telemedicine holds immense potential to revolutionise healthcare delivery, particularly in resource-limited settings and for patients with chronic diseases. Despite proven benefits and policy reforms, the use of telemedicine remains low due to several patient, technology, and system-level barriers. Assisted telemedicine employs trained health professionals to connect patients with physicians, which can improve access and scope of telemedicine.

Co-creation of a step-by-step guide for specifying the test-management pathway to formulate focused guideline questions about healthcare related tests.

Background: Guideline development on testing is known to be difficult for guideline developers. It requires consideration of various aspects, such as accuracy, purpose of testing, and consequences on management and people-important outcomes. This can be outlined in a test-management pathway.