Cancer Patients' Decision Making and Trial-entry Preferences

Abstract

The study purpose was to determine whether the framing of treatment information influenced patients' reported preferences for participating in treatment decision making and for trial entry. Ninety cancer patients read either neutrally-, positively-, or negatively-framed infor mation about a chemotherapeutic treatment, then indicated their preferences for participating in the treatment decision, and whether they would participate in a clinical trial incorporating this protocol. There was no difference across information groups in preferences for partici pating in treatment decision making or willingness to enter such a clinical trial. Preference for participation in treatment decision making was significantly related to age (t = 2.54; p = 0.022), sex (x2 = 3.89; p = 0.05), and education (t = 2.54; p = 0.018); trial entry preferences were unrelated to these demographic variables. These results imply that, in this clinical context, attitudes towards participation in treatment decision making may be asso ciated with characteristics of the patient, and attitudes towards trial entry may be dependent upon the clinical characteristics of a particular trial, but neither set of attitudes is influenced by the framing of protocol information. Key words: framing effect; patients' preferences; quality of life; decision making; clinical trials. (Med Decis Making 1995;15:4-12)