A diabetes-specific measure of patient desire to participate in medical decision making

PURPOSE he goal of this study was to develop a diabetes-specific scale of p atient desire to participate in medical decision making (DPMD) and examine its internal consistency reliability, stability, and validity (content, dis criminant, convergent, and construct). METHODS In a cross-sectional study, 65 patients with type 2 diabetes from a teaching hospitals general medical clinic were interviewed at baseline and 2 weeks later to measure their DPMD scores. Data were collected on demogra phic/clinical features, health value, social support, desire to make a fina l decision, and value of patient autonomy. RESULTS Of the 11 DPAM items, 2 distinct factors emerged representing desir e for discussion and desire for information. The DPMD scale had high intern al consistency reliability, was stable over 2 weeks and demonstrated good c ontent validity. DPMD scale items were more correlated with each other than with health value or social support. Overall, patients who obtained diabet es education reported greater desire to participate in decisions. Younger p atients had a greater overall desire for discussion. The DPMD desire for di scussion subscale correlated with patients' desire to make the final treatm ent decision but not with patients' value of autonomy. CONCLUSIONS The DPMD is a brief, reliable, valid measure for assessing pati ent desire to participate in diabetes medical decision making.