Abstract:

Objective To develop a treatment decision aid tool for breast cancer-related lymphedema（BCRL） patients and evaluate it application effect. Methods Guided by the Ottawa Decision Support Framework，the tool was developed through literature research，group discussions，expert consultations，and user evaluation. The tool consisted of a question checklist，a treatment option comparison table，and a decision aid handbook. Breast cancer patients from a tertiary hospital in Henan Province were selected for tool examination. A total of 40 patients admitted from January to July 2024 served as the control group，receiving routine clinical care，while thirty-six patients admitted from August 2024 to March 2025 served as the experimental group，receiving intervention with the decision aid tool. Decision conflict and decision readiness were assessed on the admission day and before treatment；adherence during the swelling reduction phase was assessed；self-management and decision regret were evaluated at one and three months after treatment. Results The content validity index（S-CVI） of the tool was 0.92；user evaluation indicated good practicality and acceptability. Thirty-five patients in each group completed the study. After intervention，the experimental group showed improved decision conflict and readiness（P<0.05），higher treatment compliance during decongestion and self-management scores during maintenance，as well as lower decision regret than the control group（all P<0.05）. Conclusion The decision aid tool is scientifically sound and feasible，which enhance patients’ decision readiness，treatment compliance，and self-management ability，reduce decision conflict and regret，with promising clinical applicability.

Key words: Breast Neoplasms, Lymphedema, Decision Support Systems, Clinical, Nursing