Patients' preferences: What makes treatments worthwhile?

Abstract

Understanding preferences is essential for optimal decision making. Preferences are judgments of the best option among several. Divergence of opinions and choices about treatments is common in medicine. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the choice of treatments for breast cancer. Some seek toxic treatments that are unlikely to help, while others avoid well-tolerated treatments that may cure. Studies of preferences can help us understand why people in similar circumstances make different decisions, and how best to support people facing difficult decisions. The aim of this chapter is to describe research about preferences for treatments in breast cancer, and to suggest how this information can be used in clinical practice. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2006.