OUR RESEARCH METHODS
The Patient-centered Outcomes Related to TReatment practices in peripheral Arterial disease: Investigating Trajectories (PORTRAIT) study was designed to address gaps in knowledge about the quality of peripheral artery disease (PAD) care and health status outcomes of patients with PAD.
For the PORTRAIT study, we conducted a prospective registry where we enrolled and followed 1,275 patients with PAD for over a year. We studied collected information on their preferences for shared decision making and their health status outcomes.
The PORTRAIT study was designed to answer the following questions:
- “Given my personal characteristics, conditions and preferences, what should I expect will happen to me?”
- “What are my options and what are the potential benefits and harms of those options?”
- “How can clinicians and the care delivery systems they work in help me make the best decisions about my health and healthcare?”
What We Did:
First, we looked at the existing information about PAD. Then we had in-depth conversations with patients and PAD doctors/experts to discuss the following:
- How patients make decisions
- What hurdles exist to getting treatment
- What outcomes are important to patients
- What information patients want to have
- What preferences patients have for treatment related to their PAD
Next, we worked on how to best present this information in a user-friendly way for PAD patients making decisions about their treatments.
Decision Aid Tools:
The tools that we developed are the Show Me PAD brochure and website (ShowMe-PAD.org), which includes video interviews with patients and providers. They are designed for patients to use as stand-alone tools as they prepare for visits with healthcare providers. The content of the brochure is mirrored on the website.
What We Found:
After testing our decision aid tool with 20 patients and 20 providers, we received this feedback:
Brochure:
- 90% of doctors thought the brochure would be useful in its current state or pending minor suggested changes
- 100% of patients thought the brochure would be useful in its current state or pending minor suggested changes
Website:
- 93% of doctors thought the website would be useful for decision making in its current state or with minor suggested changes
- 100% of patients thought the website would be useful for decision making in its current state or with minor suggested changes
Next Steps:
After making recommended changes to the brochure and website, the Show Me PAD materials will be used in a PAD specialty care clinic. We will then evaluate the brochure and website again to see if they improve patient knowledge and decision making.
REFERENCE NOTES:
- Research reported on this website was funded through a Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Award (CE-1304-6677).
- The statements on this website are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of PCORI, its Board of Governors or Methodology Committee.
- Information used to develop this website: Gerhard-Herman, M.D., et al. (2017). “2016 AHA/ACC Guideline on the Management of Patients With Lower Extremity Peripheral Artery Disease: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines.” Circulation 135(12): e726-e779.
