Utility of electronic decision-support tools for patients with head and neck cancer: A scoping review

Abstract

The objective of this scoping review is to evaluate the range and nature of electronic decision-support tools that have been researched and/or trialled for patients with head and neck cancer (HNC), and to explore the implication on patient safety through improving risk communication. A scoping review was conducted by: (1) identifying the research question; (2) identifying relevant studies; (3) study selection; (4) collecting data and data items; (5) and reporting on results. Six databases, reference lists and grey literature from Google and Google Scholar were searched, including articles in English from January 2010 to January 2021. Articles discussing electronic decision aids (DAs) for oncology patients were searched then sorted by specificity for HNC. This returned 4217 articles for oncology but only 167 for HNC. Twelve articles met the inclusion criteria and were incorporated in the analysis. Five DAs have been created with varying design characteristics but four consistent themes: appreciation for DAs, usefulness of visuals, impact on reducing decisional conflict and anxiety while increasing knowledge, satisfaction, and shared decision-making, and the variability of patient information needs. Findings demonstrate the paucity of developed and/or trialled electronic DAs for patients with HNC and confirms their value and need for further research and development in this area.