Do Personal Stories Make Patient Decision Aids More Effective? An Update from the International Patient Decision Aids Standards

Victoria A. Shaffer, Suzanne Brodney, Teresa Gavaruzzi, Yaara Zisman-Ilani, Sarah Munro, Sian K. Smith, Elizabeth Thomas, Katherine D. Valentine and Hilary L. Bekker
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Victoria A. Shaffer: Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
Suzanne Brodney: Division of Internal Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Padova, Veneto, Italy
Teresa Gavaruzzi: Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialization, Universita degli Studi di Padova Scuola di Psicologia, Padova, Veneto, Italy
Yaara Zisman-Ilani: Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Sarah Munro: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Sian K. Smith: Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Elizabeth Thomas: Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Katherine D. Valentine: Health Decision Sciences Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
Hilary L. Bekker: Institute of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK

Medical Decision Making, 2021, vol. 41, issue 7, 897-906

Abstract: Background This article evaluates the evidence for the inclusion of patient narratives in patient decision aids (PtDAs). We define patient narratives as stories, testimonials, or anecdotes that provide illustrative examples of the experiences of others that are relevant to the decision at hand. Method To evaluate the evidence for the effectiveness of narratives in PtDAs, we conducted a narrative scoping review of the literature from January 2013 through June 2019 to identify relevant literature published since the last International Patient Decision Aid Standards (IPDAS) update in 2013. We considered research articles that examined the impact of narratives on relevant outcomes or described relevant theoretical mechanisms. Results The majority of the empirical work on narratives did not measure concepts that are typically found in the PtDA literature (e.g., decisional conflict). Yet, a few themes emerged from our review that can be applied to the PtDA context, including the impact of narratives on relevant outcomes (knowledge, behavior change, and psychological constructs), as well as several theoretical mechanisms about how and why narratives work that can be applied to the PtDA context. Conclusion Based on this evidence update, we suggest that there may be situations when narratives could enhance the effectiveness of PtDAs. The recent theoretical work on narratives has underscored the fact that narratives are a multifaceted construct and should no longer be considered a binary option (include narratives or not). However, the bottom line is that the evidence does not support a recommendation for narratives to be a necessary component of PtDAs.

Keywords: anecdotes; patient decision aids; patient stories; narratives; testimonials (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:medema:v:41:y:2021:i:7:p:897-906

DOI: 10.1177/0272989X211011100

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