Background After 3 months of anticoagulation for unprovoked venous thromboembolism (VTE), a decision must be made to stop or continue indefinitely by weighing risks of recurrence and bleeding through shared decision-making (SDM). Despite the importance of patient involvement, patients' perspectives on treatment duration are understudied. Aim To describe the knowledge of VTE and anticoagulation, need for education, perception of risks and benefits of extended treatment, and factors influencing patient's preference to stop or continue treatment after unprovoked VTE. Methods Semistructured interviews were conducted between May 2019 and August 2020 with adults with unprovoked VTE in one university hospital and one general hospital. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed using conventional content analysis. Results Eighteen patients were interviewed (median age 64, range: 32–83 years). Three major themes were identified: diagnosis and initial treatment, SDM, and perception of treatment. Education, knowledge, coping, and attitude toward health care suffused major themes. The impact of VTE on daily life varied between individuals, as did the preferred extent of SDM. Overall, patients who felt involved and informed were more satisfied with received care, more aware of risks and benefits of treatment, and more likely to be treatment adherent. Generally, patients were more concerned with risk of recurrent VTE than with risk of bleeding during anticoagulation. We identified a multitude of aspects important to patients when deciding to stop or continue anticoagulation. Conclusion Sufficient information and an individualized extent of SDM are of crucial importance for patients when deciding on treatment duration after unprovoked VTE.

中文翻译：

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决定无端静脉血栓栓塞症的治疗持续时间：对患者来说重要的是什么？

背景 在针对无端静脉血栓栓塞症 (VTE) 进行 3 个月的抗凝治疗后，必须通过共同决策 (SDM) 权衡复发和出血风险来决定是停止治疗还是无限期继续治疗。尽管患者参与很重要，但患者对治疗持续时间的看法仍未得到充分研究。目的 描述 VTE 和抗凝知识、教育需求、对延长治疗的风险和益处的认识，以及影响患者在无端 VTE 后选择停止或继续治疗的因素。方法于 2019 年 5 月至 2020 年 8 月期间在一所大学医院和一所综合医院对患有无端 VTE 的成年人进行了半结构化访谈。访谈被录音并逐字转录。使用常规内容分析对数据进行分析。结果 采访了 18 名患者（中位年龄 64 岁，范围：32-83 岁）。确定了三个主要主题：诊断和初始治疗、SDM 和对治疗的看法。教育、知识、应对和对医疗保健的态度是主要主题。VTE 对日常生活的影响因人而异，SDM 的首选程度也是如此。总的来说，感觉参与和知情的患者对接受的护理更满意，更了解治疗的风险和益处，并且更有可能坚持治疗。一般来说，患者更关心复发性 VTE 的风险，而不是抗凝期间的出血风险。在决定停止或继续抗凝时，我们确定了对患者重要的多个方面。