FRIDAY, March 27, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with Parkinson disease (PD) find a new evidence-based decision tool acceptable to improve understanding of deep brain stimulation (DBS) and boost their confidence in making a decision to pursue the surgery or not, according to a study published online Feb. 18 in the Journal of Parkinson’s Disease.
Michelle E. Fullard, M.D., from the University of Colorado in Aurora, and colleagues developed an evidence-based decision aid for patients with PD considering DBS surgery and evaluated its acceptability. The analysis included 136 participants with PD across the stages of development.
The researchers found that among the 57 patients who completed the decisional conflict scale, high decisional conflict was seen. Twenty-two participants tested the decision aid, with 16 using a paper version and six using an interactive website version. Of the 46 participants evaluating the decision aid’s acceptability, 87 percent agreed or strongly agreed that they were satisfied with the quality of the decision aid. Additionally, most participants found the language, amount of information, length, balance, and risk and benefits section acceptable.
"Our goal is to ensure people have a clear, realistic understanding of what DBS can and cannot do so they feel confident and satisfied with whatever decision they make," Fullard said in a statement.