Experiences and outcomes of patients participating in a perioperative shared decision-making pathway.

The Complex Decision Pathway (CDP) is a novel perioperative shared decision-making pathway that was established in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand in 2018. Unique features of the pathway include the use of a structured communication tool to facilitate a goals-of-care conversation in addition to medical assessment, and the use of a tikanga Māori framework for Māori patients. From May 2019 until May 2022, 81 patients attending the CDP clinic were recruited to a prospective study of their demographics, health status and experience at the time of presentation, along with outcomes and opinions over the subsequent 12 months.