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.