Understanding the Factors That Influence Shared-Decision Making Around Surgical Resection of Low-Risk Thyroid Cancers: A Prospective Qualitative Study
Authors' conclusion
This study identified essential information needs for LRDTC treatment decision-making, which can help inform the development of decision-support tools. Multidisciplinary team discussions may need to evolve to allow greater flexibility and support individualized decision-making.
Study context
- Population
- Patients newly diagnosed with low-risk differentiated thyroid carcinoma (LRDTC) 1–4 cm without adverse features, choosing between hemithyroidectomy and total thyroidectomy (or, after hemithyroidectomy, active surveillance vs total thyroidectomy), and their clinicians; two tertiary referral centres in England, UK24 identified, 19 agreed
- Exposure
- Patients vs Clinicians
- Patientsn = 19
- Outcome
- Factors influencing shared decision-making
Methodological detailssemi-structured interviews, consecutive sampling, framework method of thematic analysis, two tertiary referral centres, Interviews May 2023 to June 2024
- Semi-structured interviews
- Consecutive sampling
- Framework method of thematic analysis
- Two tertiary referral centres
- Interviews May 2023 to June 2024
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
- Information-sharing often perceived as didactic, leaving patients overwhelmed with complex clinical details
- Both groups emphasised tailoring information to patients' needs and delivering it in bite-sized portions
- Key factors: desire to minimise number and extent of surgical procedures, preserve the thyroid and avoid hormone supplementation, and ability to accept recurrence risk
- Autonomy paramount for patients, but providers' recommendations still significantly impacted the final decision
- Some clinicians concerned multiple options might confuse patients, entrusting decision-making to multidisciplinary team meetings
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Original publication
Understanding the Factors That Influence Shared-Decision Making Around Surgical Resection of Low-Risk Thyroid Cancers: A Prospective Qualitative Study. Thyroid. Published 18 December 2025. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →