Waiting for medical test results: A delay discounting approach

Delay discounting is the devaluation of an outcome as a function of delay until receiving that outcome. In two studies, we used a delay discounting approach to examine how wait times for a medical diagnosis can affect people's decision to undergo medical testing.

In Study 1 (N = 151), participants rated the likelihood they would get tested for a severe and a mild disease with wait times ranging from 0 to 180 days (within persons). Study 2 (N = 400) randomized disease severity (severe vs. mild) between persons and manipulated disease curability (curable vs. incurable).

Likelihood of testing decreased as delay until receiving test results increased. This effect of delay on testing was stronger for the mild than for the severe disease, and for the curable than for the incurable disease.

We found strong evidence for a delay discounting effect, an effect that varied depending on aspects of diseases. The findings illustrate how delay discounting can affect screening uptake and how it is moderated by disease characteristics.