Desired decision aid content
Patients and clinicians alike suggested including an explanation of AF, how an ablation treats it, and the risks and benefits of ablation. Some patients also felt it was important to improve other patients’ confidence in the procedure; testimonials were a commonly suggested strategy for communicating information and improving confidence. They noted the emotional power of testimonials: “I think people prefer hearing testimony from people that had it done. I think it’s more persuasive to another client than reading a pamphlet because people actually see where this thing works for someone else. Usually if it works for someone else, you’ll take a shot hoping it works for you.”-Patient 8.
Patients also wanted decision aids to help them quantify the possible outcomes of ablation and personalize the likelihood of outcomes based on personal characteristics: “Each person is unique. The idea is to replace some of the uncertainty with a little bit more information and possibilities. So if I hadn’t had the procedure, the lingering thought would be should I have done this, and how would I be if I had this?”-Patient 13.