Survey of Patient Satisfaction and Willingness to Pay for Shared Decision-Making Implemented by Pharmacists for Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Introduction: Biologics and Janus kinase inhibitors have emerged as treatment options for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD); however, Japanese guidelines do not specify priorities for the use of these therapies. Therefore, shared decision-making (SDM) is important for their selection. This study aimed to survey patients with IBD who received SDM from pharmacists regarding their satisfaction and willingness to pay (WTP).

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted between January 2020 and June 2024. Patients who visited the IBD Outpatient Clinic at Kameda Clinic and received SDM during this period were surveyed. Patient satisfaction was assessed using the visual analog scale (0-100). WTP was surveyed with four options: JPY 0, JPY 250 (approximately USD 2.5), JPY 500 (approximately USD 5), and over JPY 500.

Results: A total of 26 patients completed the questionnaire. The median satisfaction score for SDM was 96 (interquartile range: 90-100). Twenty patients (76.9%) indicated WTP for SDM. Eight patients (30.8%) chose JPY 250, 10 patients (38.5%) chose JPY 500, and 2 patients (7.7%) indicated over JPY 500.

Conclusion: This pilot study is the first to demonstrate that SDM by pharmacists is highly satisfactory for patients with IBD. Furthermore, many patients expressed a WTP for SDM as part of counseling. These findings support the involvement of pharmacists, alongside physicians, in the SDM process for IBD treatment.