Decision Support Lab – Breast Cancer Project

The Decision Support Lab at The Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research will continue research on breast cancer treatment decisions during the 2012-2013 fiscal year. This work is part of the study “Measuring the Quality of Decisions in Breast Cancer” and involves survey research with breast cancer survivors.

Validation in Newly Diagnosed Patients

This phase of the study will validate the reconstruction decision quality instruments in women who have been diagnosed with early stage breast cancer. The instruments measure the degree to which patients are informed and the degree to which their decisions reflect their values. Approximately 100 patients from 2 sites will be enrolled in this phase of the study. Participants will receive the reconstruction decision instrument by mail approximately 4 weeks after their mastectomy. They will then receive a 1 year follow up survey a year after completion of the baseline survey. This longitudinal assessment will be important to examine how their knowledge and preferences may change over time. Data will be sent to the Center for Survey Research for analysis.

Principal Investigator: Clara Lee, MD

Funding: Foundation for Informed Medical Decision Making

Total Project Period: 07/01/2012-06/30/2013