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Related Experiment Videos

Risk preference and laboratory test selection.

S D Nightingale

    Journal of General Internal Medicine
    |January 1, 1987
    PubMed
    Summary
    This summary is machine-generated.

    Physician risk preferences influence laboratory test ordering. Those avoiding potential loss ordered twice as many tests as those accepting certain loss, impacting healthcare costs.

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    Area of Science:

    • Medical Decision Making
    • Health Economics
    • Physician Behavior

    Background:

    • Physician test ordering varies significantly.
    • Understanding factors influencing test ordering is crucial for cost-effective healthcare.
    • Risk preferences are a potential, yet understudied, determinant of physician behavior.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To investigate the correlation between physician risk preferences and the number of laboratory tests ordered.
    • To explore if risk-taking in potential loss scenarios influences diagnostic test selection.

    Main Methods:

    • 67 physicians' risk preferences were assessed in hypothetical gain and loss scenarios.
    • Participants reviewed identical outpatient charts and selected laboratory tests.
    • Test selection was correlated with expressed risk preferences regarding life expectancy.

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    Main Results:

    • Physicians exhibiting higher risk tolerance in loss scenarios ordered significantly more laboratory tests (twice as many) compared to risk-averse physicians.
    • A statistically significant difference was observed (p < 0.025).
    • This suggests a link between risk preference and diagnostic intensity.

    Conclusions:

    • Physician risk preferences, particularly in situations involving potential loss, are associated with the number of laboratory tests ordered.
    • This finding offers insight into inter-physician variability in diagnostic test utilization.
    • Further research could explore interventions to align test ordering with evidence-based guidelines, considering physician risk attitudes.