Feasibility and effects of decision aids

Decision aids for patients have recently been introduced in health care. A literature review was conducted to address the following research questions : I) which types of decision aids have been developed?; 2) to what extent a re they feasible, and acceptable to patients and health care providers?; 3) do decision aids affect the decisionmaking process and patients' outcomes? Thirty non-controlled (e.g., one-group-only designs) and controlled studie s (e.g., randomized experimental designs) were identified. Decision aids we re found to be feasible and acceptable to patients and to increase the agre ement between patients' values and decisions and patients' knowledge. The e ffects of decision aids on decisions and on patients' outcomes, including d ecision uncertainty, satisfaction, and health, have rarely been addressed. When studied, the beneficial effects of decision aids on these outcomes app ear to be rather modest. Implications for future development of decision ai ds and the design of studies are discussed.