2025 Volume 19 Issue 1 Pages 61-73
Shared Decision Making (SDM) has garnered attention within the medical community. To disseminate SDM, the role of pharmaceutical companies, which conduct seminars, is also considered to be substantial. This study examined the measures that pharmaceutical companies can implement to contribute to SDM, with a focus on the initial treatment of breast cancer.
A survey of 200 patients found that the primary sources of information influencing SDM were their physicians, online resources, and hospital materials. Additionally, patient health literacy and the ease with which they can communicate with their physicians were suggested as factors that affect SDM.
Considering these findings, pharmaceutical companies could consider providing SDM support tools, organizing and facilitating access to reliable information about specific treatment options, sharing SDM experiences, and supporting efforts to improve patients' health literacy and physicians' communication skills. These programs would contribute to patient-centric healthcare pharmaceutical companies are promoting.
