Étude de la participation des patientes au choix thérapeutique en oncologie

The aim of this study is to help patients with breast cancer express their preferences concerning adjuvant chemotherapy and to observe how they perceive and experience the information and the situation of choice. Ten women with breast cancer without axillary extension were observed. We choose to use the decision board method, which consists of both a printed interview guide and a visual aid, designed to inform patients as objectively as possible, to help them choose between two options, chemotherapy or no chemotherapy. Based on interviews with patients we investigated how the patients perceive information given and the situation of choice with which they have been confronted. The results of this study show how patients reached their decision and what factors intervene in the decision process. This study underlies the difficulties of the health care decision process and shows how the patients react when faced with the information and the choice. The most interesting observation is that patients don’t make a rational choice according to the information given by the decision board, but mainly make an irrational choice based on the interpretation of the physician’s intent.