Shared decision-making in general practice from a patient perspective. A cross-sectional survey

Abstract

Objectives

We aimed to assess patient involvement in terms of shared decision-making in general practice from the perspectives of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or type 2 diabetes (T2DM) (or both).

Design

A cross-sectional survey using the 9-item Shared Decision-Making Questionnaire (SDM-Q-9) ranging from 0 to 5 (best).

Setting and subjects

Patients diagnosed with either T2DM and/or COPD were asked to focus on their most recent consultation in general practice concerning their T2DM or lung disease. Responders were approached through the Danish Diabetes Association and Danish Lung Association.

Results

The sample included 468 responders. Mean scores for the total sample were between 3.3 and 4.2. The overall mean score for all items was 3.7. The highest overall mean score was for patients with T2DM, whereas the lowest overall mean score was for patients having both T2DM and COPD. Furthermore, we observed a slightly lower overall mean score for women compared to men and for those younger than 65 years compared to those aged 65 years or older.

Conclusion

Overall, patients are involved in shared decision-making in general practice Minor nuances were found because patients with COPD were less involved in shared decision-making compared to patients with T2DM. Similarly, younger patients and women were less involved than older patients and men.

Keywords:

• General practice
• shared decision-making
• patient involvement
• patient perspectives

Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the generous support from the Danish Diabetes Association and Danish Lung Association and their local branches.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).