Shared Decision Making in Cancer Screening and Treatment Decisions for American Indian and Alaska Native Communities: Can We Ethically Calibrate Interventions to Patients' Values?

Abstract

Shared decision making has been advocated as a key ethical strategy to improve quality of care and cancer control, especially in relation to screening and treatment decisions at various stages of the cancer continuum. Recent research on cancer in American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities has highlighted significant disparities, raising questions about how best to implement prevention and screening programs in often fragmented and underfunded Indian health, tribal and urban systems. Incorporating shared decision making initiatives routinely may provide opportunities to address the complex choices AI/AN patients face.