Shared Decision-Making
Shared decision-making (SDM) is a core pillar of patient-centred healthcare, central to the notion that patients should have the opportunity to be involved in their treatment decision-making as much as they want.
Evidence Generation Project to Quantify Benefits of SDM for Urologists and Patients
IKCC is partnered with Dr Katharina Beyer (NL) to study why SDM is lagging in kidney cancer clinical practice. The qualitative research project, titled Empowering Choices: Insights from Healthcare Professionals on Shared Decision-Making in Kidney Cancer, interviewed healthcare professionals in urology clinics in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Germany to explore their perspectives as they relate to SDM, with a focus on early-stage kidney cancer.
The research has uncovered significant challenges to SDM, and future activities will focus on closing these gaps to help improve uptake:
- The lack of evidence that there is benefit to SDM/patient engagement from HCPs
- Healthcare professionals’ perceived barriers, including time and cost-effectiveness of SDM
- The lack of evidence that structured decision tools/ aids improve Standard of Care discussions for kidney cancer
The research findings were published in a manuscript and presented at IKCS EU 25, as well in a poster at EAU25, winning the 1st prize for the best patient abstract.
Kidney Cancer: My Treatment My Choice Decision Aids
One of IKCC’s core principles is that patients and their families are integral in determining healthcare decisions that affect their lives. The IKCC decision aid series, My Treatment, My Choice, is written for people with kidney cancer, carers, and families to teach them about different aspects of treatment and care and support shared decision-making.
