LESLEY DEGNER

Lesley Degner is an internationally recognized scholar in the field of patient involvement in treatment decision making. In 1987, she published Life-Death Decisions in Health Care, a groundbreaking book outlining factors that influence the way treatment decisions are made for patients with life-threatening illnesses. This grounded theory formed the basis for Dr. Degner’s subsequent development of the Control Preferences Scale and the Information Needs Scale, measurement tools now used by investigators internationally. Dr. Degner’s research into informational needs, decisional preferences and meaning of illness in women with breast cancer also included comparative studies in England and Sweden, contributing to our knowledge about how country and culture influence the reactions of cancer patients.