Shared decision making during surgical consultations: An observational study in pediatric otolaryngology.

AIMS: Shared decision-making (SDM) is a collaborative process in which patients and family members make healthcare decisions together with their clinician. The objective of this study was to explore how pediatric otolaryngologists involve parents in SDM and which factors influence this process. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Ninety-six children being assessed by pediatric otolaryngologists at a tertiary healthcare center for elective surgical procedures (adeno/tonsillectomy or tympanostomy tube insertion) were prospectively enrolled into the study. Surgical consultations were video-recorded and coded using the OPTION instrument to determine level of SDM. To provide a subjective measure of SDM, parents completed the Shared Decision-Making Questionnaire (SDM-Q-9) and surgeons completed the physician version of the questionnaire (SDM-Q-Doc). RESULTS: Total mean child and parents OPTION scores were 3.16 (SD: 5.43, range: 0-21) and 11.38 (SD: 6.41, range: 1-27) out of 48 respectively. Clinicians were more likely to involve female children in SDM as well as children who had a previous history of surgery. There were no other significant correlations between total OPTION scores and patient/family demographics. A positive correlation was found between length of consultation and total OPTION scores for parents, but not for children. SDM-Q-9 and SDM-Q-Doc scores were not correlated with total OPTION scores. CONCLUSION: Decision making during pediatric otolaryngology consultations mostly focused on treatment related decisions and sharing information as opposed to facilitating collaborative decision-making. Parent and physician perceptions of SDM were not correlated with actual observed behavior. Additional research is required to provide insight in how to increase surgeons' assistance towards SDM.

Laryngeal recurrence sites in patients previously treated with transoral laser microsurgery for squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The laryngeal framework provides a natural barrier preventing tumour spread to extralaryngeal structures. Transoral laser microsurgery (TLM) for laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) may violate these boundaries, altering the pathways of tumor spread for potential recurrences. Our project objective is to describe laryngeal SCC recurrence patterns and overall survival in patients requiring total laryngectomy (TL) after TLM. METHODS: Patients undergoing TLM for laryngeal SCC requiring salvage TL were identified from a prospective CO2 laser database containing all patients undergoing TLM for head and neck malignancies at the QEII Health Sciences Center in Halifax, Nova Scotia between March 2002 - May 2014. Surgical pathology reports were analyzed for tumor characteristics, extent of recurrence and invasion of local structures. Kaplan-Meier analyses were performed to evaluate overall survival, disease specific survival (DSS) and locoregional control. RESULTS: Fifteen patients were identified from the database as receiving salvage TL for recurrent disease after initial TLM resection for laryngeal SCC. Final pathology reports demonstrated that 67% (10/15) of patients had thyroid cartilage involvement while 53% (9/15) of patients had cricoid cartilage involvement on salvage TL pathology. 33% (5/15) of patients had perineural invasion and 27% (4/15) had lymphovascular invasion. Mean and median follow-up times were 36.7 months and 26.8 months respectively (range 3.9-112.6). The Kaplan-Meier estimate for overall survival at 36 months was 40% post TL with a standard error (SE) of 13.6%. DSS was 47% (SE 14.2%), and locoregional control was 55% (SE 14.5%) post TL. CONCLUSIONS: Laryngeal recurrence sites following TLM seem to be consistent with historical data at known laryngeal sites of vulnerability. Treatment with TLM does not predispose patients to a lower rate of locoregional control and overall survival after total laryngectomy and salvage outcomes are consistent with literature values.