RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Development and evaluation of a patient decision aid for pediatric interval appendectomy
JF World Journal of Pediatric Surgery
JO World Jnl Ped Surgery
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd
SP e000466
DO 10.1136/wjps-2022-000466
VO 5
IS 4
A1 Larocca, Victoria
A1 Oltean, Irina
A1 Grandpierre, Viviane
A1 Nasr, Ahmed
YR 2022
UL http://wjps.bmj.com/content/5/4/e000466.abstract
AB Objective One option for the treatment of perforated appendicitis in pediatric patients is interval appendectomy (IA). A patient decision aid (PDA) can be useful in the decision-making process regarding IA. The purpose of this study was to evaluate parents’ decisional conflict before and after engaging with a developed PDA.Methods Participants included (a) parents who are considering IA surgery for their child, (b) have not yet had their follow-up appointment postdischarge, and (c) were fluent in either the official languages of English or French. This study used a pretest and post-test design to measure participants’ decisional conflict and treatment option choice. Perceptions and acceptability of the PDA were also assessed.Results A total of 18 participants completed the study (16 mothers). Major findings include significant decreases in all Decisional Conflict Scale items from pre-PDA to post-PDA engagement, except for one item. The majority of participants perceived the PDA to be useful, easy to find information regarding risks and provided enough information to help them make a decision regarding their child’s treatment.Conclusions This is the first study to develop and evaluate a PDA among parents who are making a decision regarding IA surgery. The results showed a significant decrease in decisional conflict after using the PDA. The results also showed that the PDA was generally accepted among parents and had positive perceptions regarding length, content, and balance. The use of PDA for this population can help ease feelings of decisional conflict and equip parents with the information to make informed decisions.All data relevant to the study are included in the article or uploaded as supplementary information.