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Jerry Tan, MD, University of Western Ontario, London, ON Psoriasis is an incurable condition which can be well controlled with current therapy. While milder cases can often be managed with medicated creams and ointments; those with greater involvement may require ultraviolet light, pill and/or injection therapy. Decision aids help people in the decision process by providing patient-friendly information on the benefits, risks and uncertainties of treatment; clarifying what matters most to the individual patient on these issues; and enabling participation in decision making in a role they prefer. Decision aids have been shown to be particularly useful in situations where there is no single treatment routinely recommended for everyone. This is the situation in moderate to severe psoriasis where there are just over 10 different treatment options, each with it's own unique features in risks, benefits, and uncertainties. Choosing from this array requires consideration of available evidence, reflection on what matters most to individual patients (values), and guidance and counselling from experts in the disease and its treatment. This project aims to develop a decision aid to help psoriasis patients make better decisions about treatment. © 2009 |
