Research Article: Communicating to Promote Informed Decisions in the Context of Early Pregnancy Loss
Lead Author: Maria Brann
Submitted by: Michael Maury, UCSD School of Medicine

In this research article, authors Maria Brann and Jennifer J. Bute of the Department of Communication Studies at Indiana University and Purdue University facilitated a simulation in which interns engaged with Standardized Patients portraying woman who had just experienced a miscarriage, in “minimum informed decision making (IDM).” They note that “As many as 25% of known pregnancies end in a miscarriage” and “evidence suggests that informed decision making does not occur in many cases of early pregnancy loss.” The purpose of their study was “to evaluate an OSCE program in which OB/GYN residents are trained using standardized patients to engage women in decision making during a pregnancy loss scenario.”

In this article, the authors stress the importance that IDM can help support and encourage a patient’s active involvement in the decision making process and thereby “promote quality interactions with physicians, better knowledge about health conditions, trust of physicians, satisfaction with treatment decisions, and ultimately better treatment adherence and clinical outcomes.”  In conclusion, the authors say, “this study offers a first step in using a communicative approach to evaluating and improving decision making in the case of early pregnancy loss.” Through this study, the authors “offer specific suggestions for training physicians while also providing a foundation for future research.” Read the full article in Patient Education and Counseling here.

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