Work

The development and pilot testing of a shared decision-making encounter aid for weight management decisions

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Background: Obesity management involves multiple treatment options with differing benefits, risks, costs, and burdens, making these decisions highly preference sensitive. Shared decision-making (SDM) is recommended in obesity care, and yet practical tools to support real-time SDM during clinical encounters remain limited. We developed and pilot-tested a point-of-care decision aid, Weight Management Choice, to support structured discussions about weight management options. Methods: This was a two-phase study combining a human-centered design process with a subsequent single-arm observational pilot study conducted in outpatient clinics at two Mayo Clinic sites. The design phase involved evidence review, observation of clinical encounters, iterative prototyping, and stakeholder-informed field testing. The pilot phase then evaluated the resulting tool in routine encounters between adults considering weight management options and participating clinicians. Post-encounter assessments included the SURE test, the 9-item Shared Decision Making Questionnaire (SDM-Q-9), and technology acceptance instrument assessing perceived usefulness (PU) and perceived ease of use (PEOU). Results: Five clinicians were enrolled, four completed at least one assessment. Of 40 patients enrolled, 29 completed at least one patient-reported assessment (median age, 43 years; 75.9% female). Among patients completing the SURE test (n = 27), the mean score was 3.81 (SD 0.77) on a 0-4 scale. Among those completing the SDM-Q-9 (n = 29), the mean score was 75.0 (SD 18.2) on a 0-100 scale. Patients completing the technology acceptance instrument (n = 26) reported mean PU and PEOU scores of 27.2 (SD 4.52) and 27.8 (SD 3.93), respectively. Across 33 clinician encounter-level assessments, corresponding mean scores were 27.5 (SD 2.74) and 29.1 (SD 2.74) on 5-35 scales. Conclusions: The Weight Management Choice aid was perceived as feasible and had favorable immediate post-encounter ratings of shared decision-making, decisional conflict, and perceived usability. Future research should evaluate its impact on longer-term decision quality, treatment adherence, and clinical outcomes across diverse care settings.

Source: Obesity Pillars

DOI: 10.1016/j.obpill.2026.100309