Increasing Patients’ Engagement in Breast Cancer Surgery Decision-Making

The primary and secondary objectives of the study:

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:

I. Test the effectiveness of a breast cancer surgery decision aid in increasing patient engagement in decision making (measured by knowledge and power) in clinics serving a high proportion of socioeconomically disadvantaged patients.

II. Test the extent to which the effect of a decision aid on patient engagement is mediated through the mitigation of barriers and determine if persistent barriers are disproportionately experienced by socioeconomically disadvantaged patients.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:

I. Characterize how persistent barriers influence patient engagement in decision making in order to identify targets for adjunct interventions that could be implemented in clinics serving a high proportion of socioeconomically disadvantaged patients.

Trial Design:

OUTLINE: This is a multi-site cluster randomized trial using a stepped wedge design. Ten clinics will be recruited for participation. All clinics will begin in the usual care arm. Clinics will be randomized to the timing with which they cross-over to the decision aid intervention, with new clinics crossing over every 10 weeks.

ARM I: usual care

ARM II: decision aid intervention

The only difference between patients enrolled before institutional crossover and patients enrolled after institutional crossover is those who are enrolled after institutional crossover will have been offered the decision aid as accepted practice in the clinic.