Table 2.

African-American Patients’ Perceptions and Definitions of Shared Decision-Making (SDM) Domains

1a. Information-Sharing: Physician Actions	“He listened to me, and he’s taking in what you say, and he jumps right on it….he takes care of you…he understands how I feel…” (patient characterized as passive) “It isn’t that I don’t trust her, I just want her to listen to what I’m saying and act on it…” (patient characterized as passive) “She explained everything I needed to know about the situation…she explained them in layman’s terms…” (patient categorized as passive) “I would like to have a say…I think they should give me all the information when I ask, and they should tell me what’s wrong. And [when] I want to find out more about it, they should answer my questions.” (patient categorized as shared) “I liked the way she explained things to me and told me ‘why this’ and ‘why that’…you could talk to her about your problems or health or whatever and she would explain things to you…Both of us together make the decision and she lets me know what she thinks is best for me.” (patient categorized as shared)
1b. Information-Sharing: Patient Actions	“I prefer that the doctor and I decide together… When he prescribes what he prescribes, I’m all for it. I want to have a say in things, but I go along with what he tells me.” (patient characterized as passive) “When the doctor [is] talking to you and explaining things, you are supposed to sit and listen and don’t interfere with the doctor…If there is something you want to know, ask the doctor and find out definitions of these different things.” (patient characterized as passive) “It kinda made me mad because I’m trying to tell them what my body can and cannot take. And I know some doctors tell you about your body, but I know my body better than anybody…” (patient characterized as shared) “There are doctors our there that will listen to you and tell you what’s going on right then and there, but then some doctors don’t know what they are doing…You are not going to know what’s wrong with me unless I tell you.” (patient characterized as shared) “God has given us this strength to speak up, to tell people what we think… the positives and the negatives. You just can’t sit here like a dummy and listen to [the doctor] say ‘Take this’ and ‘Take that.’ You have to question them…” (patient characterized as autonomous)
2. Physician Recommendations	“No, we don’t talk about [my] needs or what I want. [The doctor] just tells me what he thinks I should do.” “I prefer that the doctor and I make decisions together … if the doctor gives me a recommendation and advice, I think I have choices. I think I should have choices…” “Is [the doctor] going to recommended one or the other or both of them? {moderator: She’s saying either one would be an acceptable choice.} See that what I’m saying…that it isn’t making any sense to me. Because you can either take one or the other, and if it’s suppose to be both of them then you take both of them, but if it’s not, then you take one or the other.”
3a. Decision-Making: Passive patients	“She said that I should start taking insulin and diabetes pills (GOT LOUDER) that I don’t want to take anyway. And I try to do what is best for me but that’s it…. I am a praying person, loving the Lord, and I try to do what is best for [me]… I take all my medicines.” “We make decisions together and she gives me what I’m suppose to take and she knows what I’m suppose to take.” “I just take my medicine. She sends me through different things and whatever she prescribes I take…Everything seems to be all right so far… I haven’t had any problems.”
3b. Decision-Making: Shared patients	“We sit in the office there and she tells me (laughs), she tells me what to do and if I don’t like it I’ll say ‘No I don’t want to do that.’ I’m 73 years old okay? Some things we just know we ain’t gonna do.” “She told me I need to go to the dermatologist … Now the lady up there at the check out desk- I told her that I didn’t want to go. That if this [skin growth] goes down, then I don’t see a reason to [operate]. So, I’ll have think about that… {moderator: Did you talk to your doctor about your preferences for one treatment or the other?} Well I didn’t tell [my doctor] about my preference for not messing with it … I just told her that I would go through with it. ” “See, when the doctor tells me what to do, then I can make up my mind whether or not to do [it].”
3c. Decision-Making: Autonomous patients	“I want to have as much information [as possible], and I am interested in his recommendation. But I want to make the final decision.” “I want to talk to him and have him make a recommendation for what’s best for me but it’s my decision to decide whether I want to take this or not… I like that. I make the decision on whether I want to take it and he recommends saying I can either do this or do that, so if I have to have surgery or whatever let me be the one to call the shots.”