Reviews

Decision aids for people facing health treatment or screening decisions
There is high-quality evidence that decision aids compared to usual care improve people's knowledge regarding options, and reduce their decisional conflict related to feeling uninformed and unclear about their personal values. There is moderate-quality evidence that decision aids compared to usual care stimulate people to take a more active role in decision making, and improve accurate risk perceptions when probabilities are included in decision aids, compared to not being included. There is low-quality evidence that decision aids improve congruence between the chosen option and the patient's values.New for this updated review is further evidence indicating more informed, values-based choices, and improved patient-practitioner communication. There is a variable effect of decision aids on length of consultation. Consistent with findings from the previous review, decision aids have a variable effect on choices. They reduce the choice of discretionary surgery and have no apparent adverse effects on health outcomes or satisfaction. The effects on adherence with the chosen option, cost-effectiveness, use with lower literacy populations, and level of detail needed in decision aids need further evaluation. Little is known about the degree of detail that decision aids need in order to have a positive effect on attributes of the choice made, or the decision-making process. Stacey D, Légaré F, Col NF, Bennett CL, Barry MJ, Eden KB, Holmes-Rovner M, Llewellyn-Thomas H, Lyddiatt A, Thomson R, Trevena L, Wu JH. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2014 Jan 28;1:CD001431. Epub ahead of print] PMID: 24470076

Treatment Sequencing After Failure of the First Biologic in Cost-Effectiveness Models of Psoriasis: A Systematic Review of Published Models and Clinical Practice Guidelines Cost-effectiveness models of first-line biologics for moderate to severe plaque psoriasis either do not include subsequent treatment regimens or include only some of the regimens recommended in current treatment guidelines. Results may be sensitive to assumptions about treatment sequencing and the choice and efficacy of subsequent treatment regimens. Mauskopf J, Samuel M, McBride D, Mallya UG, Feldman SR. Pharmacoeconomics. 2014 Jan 28. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 24469676

Does hyperbaric oxygen therapy work in facilitating acute wound healing: a systematic review. When combined with standard wound management principles, hyperbaric oxygen therapy can augment healing in complicated acute wounds. However, it is not indicated in normal wound management. Further investigation is required before it can be recommended as a mainstay in adjuvant wound therapy. Dauwe PB, Pulikkottil BJ, Lavery L, Stuzin JM, Rohrich RJ. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2014 Feb;133(2):208e-15e. PMID: 24469192