shared decision-making for cancer treatment: a scoping review

Background: shared decision-making (sdm) is a key element of client-centered cancer care, involving active collaboration among patients, families, and healthcare professionals (hcps). understanding the roles and interactions among these stakeholders is essential to support significant engagement in treatment decisions. this scoping review aims to explore and synthesize the roles and components of sdm in cancer treatment.methods: this scoping review was conducted in accordance with the arksey and o'malley framework and the prisma-scr (prisma extension for scoping reviews) guidelines. a comprehensive literature search was conducted across 8 electronic databases—scopus, pubmed, proquest, ebsco, cochrane library, sciencedirect, medline, and garuda—as well as google scholar, a supplementary search engine. the search included studies published between 2015 and 2024 in english and indonesian languages. key terms related to decision-making and cancer treatment directed the search strategy. the screening process was carried out using the rayyan qcri software to enable independent, blinded review by multiple researchers, and references were managed using mendeley reference manager. data extraction focused on synthesizing key themes related to patient participation, family involvement, and hcp roles in sdm within clinical settings. results: a total of 52014 articles were retrieved, with 18 studies meeting the inclusion criteria. the included studies comprised 6 quantitative, 11 qualitative, and 1 mixed-methods study. thematic analysis revealed the emergence of 3 main themes: (1) patient participation (n=18, 100%); (2) family involvement (n=14, 78%); and (3) the role of hcps (n=16, 89%). conclusion: this review emphasizes the importance of collaborative decision-making in cancer treatment, with active roles for patients, families, and hcps. effective communication among these parties is essential for patient-centered care, supporting informed, value-aligned treatment choices, and optimizing patient outcomes.