Data linking decision aid components, design, use and outcomes to judge the effects on the decision-making process were inconsistent. The quality of the decision aids was similar, with limited evidence of theoretical base. Results: Ten decision aids were obtained 4 had been evaluated in randomised trials.
The quality and theoretical underpinnings of the decision aids were appraised and reported outcomes meta-analysed. Method: We undertook a systematic review to examine the components of decision aids that influence decision-making processes for women choosing surgery for early breast cancer. (TPB) and the Common Sense Model of Illness Representations (CSM) to be required for good quality decision-making in this domain. We aimed to evaluate the quality of decision aids for women choosing surgery for early breast cancer and to examine how their reported effects may reflect the contribution of components suggested by an extended Theory of Planned Behaviour. Rationale, aims and objectives: Little is understood about how decision aids achieve their reported effects or their impact on the decision-making process.