Surgeons' perspective on shared decision making in trauma surgery. A national survey

Objective This study aimed to answer the following research question: What is the knowledge, opinion, and experience of trauma surgeons with respect to shared decision making (SDM)? Methods An online survey was sent out in September 2016 to all 257 surgeons registered as a trauma surgeon with the Dutch Association of Trauma Surgery, to gather demographic, knowledge, and practice based information regarding their use of SDM. Results were presented according to the Checklist for Reporting Results of Internet E-Surveys (CHERRIES). Results The questionnaire was filled out by 112 (44%) trauma surgeons. Opinions about what SDM entails differed, but 27% described a process that was clearly discordant with current consensus. Eighty-six percent of trauma surgeons regarded SDM as (very) relevant for providing good care. Sixty-two percent reported to encounter problems in achieving SDM. Conclusion and implications The general opinion of Dutch trauma surgeons towards SDM is very positive, but many lack the understanding of what SDM really implies and surgeons report SDM to be difficult to accomplish. To improve the occurrence of SDM in trauma surgery, there is an obvious need for education and training in SDM skills for surgeons.