Tough choices: A preliminary evaluation of an intervention to support decision making about prophylactic mastectomy

Abstract

The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate an intervention to support informed decision making about prophylactic mastectomy (PM) by high‐risk women. As no relevant PM decision support interventions were identified, we developed a booklet and counseling session, based on the Ottawa Decision Support Framework. In the study's first phase, five women who requested information about PM received a copy of the booklet, followed by a tape‐recorded counseling session with an oncology nurse to clarify information in the booklet and help women to identify relevant values, family issues, and other related concerns. Follow‐up telephone interviews were conducted to obtain women's feedback on the intervention. The study's second phase is assessing the feasibility of recruiting eligible women and of implementing the research protocol, with seven participants to date. The intervention shows promise in that it is acceptable to women and feasible to incorporate into specialized clinic settings. Based on these findings, a multisite evaluation of this PM decision support intervention is planned.