Study: Physicians Not Always Objective In Decision Making

A new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine suggests that physicians may not always be objective when it comes to decision making. Almost 1000 physicians were asked to make theoretical decisions for patients and themselves. The majority of those surveyed reported that they would choose treatment options for their patients which had the least risk of death, but higher rate of side effects. However, if they were to choose for themselves, the majority of physicians would opt for interventions which had greater risk of death, but lower risk of side effects. The researchers concluded that, "The act of making a recommendation changes the ways that physicians think regarding medical choices." This type of decision-making is logical since, in most cases, patients would prefer to live with side effects than risk death. However, the thought of experiencing certain side effects yourself may make you shy away from the interventions which could cause them. So what's the take home message? Your physician may not always be objective. According to the study, "…the advice you get could depend on whether your doctor is thinking about what you should do, or instead thinking about what he or she would do in your situation." [via Medical News Today]

 

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