Effects of a Patient Activation Tool on Decision Making Between Surgery and Nonoperative Management for Pediatric Appendicitis

Key Points Question Can a patient activation tool improve decision-making and patient-centered outcomes in pediatric patients and their caregivers choosing between surgery and nonoperative management for pediatric appendicitis? Findings In this randomized clinical trial that included 200 patient-caregiver dyads, groups randomized to the standardized surgical consultation and the patient activation tool had similarly high scores on immediate decisional self-efficacy and health care satisfaction measures at discharge and no differences in disability days or the failure rate of nonoperative management at 1 year. Meaning Although a patient activation tool did not improve measures of decision making, pediatric patients and families can effectively participate in an informed shared decision-making process in the acute care setting.