Womens Decision Making About Hormone Replacement Therapy PDF Download

The application of medical treatments requires informed consent. However, lack of knowledge and information-processing limitations may limit the ability to make informed decisions. Decision aids address these issues, and may increase patients' ability to make informed choices. However, little research has examined decision aid effectiveness. One difficult decision faced by many women is whether to use hormone replacement therapy (HRT), which is associated with both potential risks and potential benefits. A tool designed to enhance HRT decision making could benefit many women. This paper presents the evaluation of an HRT videotape decision aid. The paper's primary goals are to (1) examine the impact of the decision aid on treatment-relevant knowledge, perceived knowledge, and perceived ability to make an informed choice about HRT; (2) determine the impact of the decision aid on HRT attitude; (3) examine whether the decision aid is perceived as useful; and (4) evaluate the influence of specific decision aid components on these issues. There were three phases to this project. First, several focus groups were convened to gain better understanding of women's knowledge and attitudes about HRT. Next, two pilot studies examined how altering the presentation of HRT-type information affects preference for hypothetical treatments. The third phase involved the evaluation of an HRT decision aid videotape. Female college students (n = 153) were randomly assigned to one of four conditions: (1) complete HRT video; (2) HRT video with patient testimonials excluded; (3) HRT video with decision aid data excluded; or (4) a control (non-HRT) video. All subjects completed pre- and post-video questionnaires examining HRT knowledge and attitudes. The HRT video was associated with increases in knowledge, perceived knowledge, and perceived ability to make an informed HRT decision. Actual knowledge and perceived knowledge were not related, and perceived ability was predicted by perceived knowledge rather than actual knowledge. The video was perceived as a useful tool for HRT decision making, although it did not increase positive attitude towards HRT. Results were similar for each version of the video, except that the version without patient testimonials was perceived more negatively. Implications of these findings are discussed.