Development of a shared decision making coding system for analysis of patient–healthcare provider encounters

ObjectivesTo describe the development and refinement of a scheme, detail of essential elements and participants in shared decision making (DEEP-SDM), for coding shared decision making (SDM) while reporting on the characteristics of decisions in a sample of patients with metastatic breast cancer.MethodsThe evidence-based patient choice instrument was modified to reflect Makoul and Clayman's integrative model of SDM. Coding was conducted on video recordings of 20 women at the first visit with their medical oncologists after suspicion of disease progression. Noldus Observer XT v.8, a video coding software platform, was used for coding.ResultsThe sample contained 80 decisions (range: 1–11), divided into 150 decision making segments. Most decisions were physician-led, although patients and physicians initiated similar numbers of decision-making conversations.ConclusionDEEP-SDM facilitates content analysis of encounters between women with metastatic breast cancer and their medical oncologists. Despite the fractured nature of decision making, it is possible to identify decision points and to code each of the essential elements of shared decision making. Further work should include application of DEEP-SDM to non-cancer encounters.Practice implicationsA better understanding of how decisions unfold in the medical encounter can help inform the relationship of SDM to patient-reported outcomes.