Patient Values and Shared Decision-Making in Alopecia Areata Treatment

According to a study published in Skin Appendage Disorders, assessing patient values when selecting treatment for alopecia areata (AA) can aid physicians in shared decision-making and highlight areas for future therapeutics.

In a recent cross-sectional national survey, researchers aimed to determine how patients with AA prioritize treatment characteristics when choosing a therapy. The survey was distributed using the National Alopecia Areata Foundation’s email list. Participants were asked to rank the importance of 5 treatment domains.

Of the 1074 completed surveys, the following treatment characteristics were ranked as important:

• The treatment’s ability to achieve hair regrowth (95.6%)
• Availability of information about the treatment (93.9%)
• Treatment side effects (89.1%)
• The cost (75.7%)
• The convenience and use (68.0%)

White and non-White respondents showed the same order of importance, but a higher proportion of non-White respondents attributed more importance to cost and convenience.

“These findings identify key domains that can serve as a starting point in shared decision-making between patients and physicians,” concluded the study authors.

Reference
Drake L, Han J, Reyes-Hadsall S, Mostaghimi A, Huang K. Assessing patient's values when selecting treatments for alopecia areata: a cross-sectional survey study. Skin Appendage Disord. 2023;9(2):99-103. doi:10.1159/000527251