Evaluation of a Question Prompt List on Treatment Decision-making Outcomes in Women Following Surgery for Breast Cancer: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Background: With advances in healthcare options for the medical management of breast cancer, treatment decision-making has become more complex. Objectives: Guided by self-efficacy theory, the study investigated the impact of a question prompt list (QPL) on decision-making outcomes among women with breast cancer in Iran who were post-surgery. Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted at a comprehensive cancer center in Tehran, Iran. Fifty patients were randomized to either a QPL with usual care (n = 25) or to a usual care (n = 25) condition. Data were collected pre-and post-treatment utilizing: 9-item Shared Decision-Making Questionnaire; Decision Self-efficacy Scale; and the Control Preferences Scale. Utilizing SPSS 26 software, descriptive, Shapiro-Wilk test, independent t-test, Fisher’s Exact test, and Mann-Whitney U test were used. Results: No differences between the usual care and QPL groups on major study constructs were found (P > 0.05). Conclusions: The QPL did not impact various decision-making outcomes among women with breast cancer post-surgery. Cross-cultural research is needed with larger samples to further examine the impact of decision aids such as QPL on decision-making outcomes for women with breast cancer.