• Teresa S Jones, Lauren Mckown, Amber Lane, Carolyn Horney, Morgan Unruh, Nathaniel Brown, Shala Sommerville-Henderson, Edward L Jones, Karen Albright, Cari Levy, and Thomas Robinson.
• Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center, Aurora, Colorado, USA.
• J Palliat Med. 2024 Jul 1; 27 (7): 912915912-915.

AbstractObjective: Our medical center implemented a multidisciplinary team to improve surgical decision making for high-risk older adults. To make this a patient-centric process, a pilot program included the patient and their family/caregiver(s) in these conversations. Our hypothesis is that multidisciplinary team discussions can improve difficult surgical decision making. Methods: From January to June 2022, we offered patients and their family participation in multidisciplinary discussions at a Veterans Affairs medical center. Semistructured interviews were conducted 1-6 days after the meeting. Interview transcripts were analyzed with qualitative mixed-methods approach. Results: Six patients and caregivers participated in the interviews. They found the discussion helpful for improving their understanding of the surgical decision. Out of these, 50% (3 of 6) of the patients changed their decision regarding the planned operation based on the discussion. Conclusion: Including patients and caregiver(s) in multidisciplinary surgical decision-making discussions resulted in half of the patients changing their surgical plans. This pilot study demonstrated both acceptance and feasibility for all participants.

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