Decision tool’s value explained
According to the study, 32% of providers changed their treatment choices in clinical practice after they learned about the expert perspectives via the decision tool; 46% said the expert opinions confirmed that their choices were best practice.
The value of the tool is its ability to help providers make better decisions about patient care, Dr. Yardley said. “There seems to be a need for this kind of support.”
In an interview, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center oncologist Adam M. Brufsky, MD, PhD – who wasn’t involved with the study – said he was surprised by the amount of disagreement between the expert and provider perspectives on treatment. However, he noted that community oncologists – unlike the breast cancer experts – often don’t see just one type of cancer.
“You just have to know so much now as an oncologist,” Dr. Brufsky said. He recommended that colleagues take advantage of decision support tools, such as cancer treatment pathways.
The study was funded by AstraZeneca, Lilly, and Merck Sharp & Dohme. Dr. Yardley has no disclosures, and disclosure information from other authors was not available. Dr. Brufsky discloses consulting support from AstraZeneca, Lilly, and Merck and grants from AstraZeneca.