Using a hypothetical case to measure differences in treatment aggressiveness among physicians in Canada, Germany and...

Variations in physician practice style, within and between countries, account for much of the differences in the utilization of scarce health care resources. Practice style differences are particularly important at the end of life, when a substantial amount of resources are consumed. We use a hypothetical case of a severely ill elderly patient to identify factors associated with aggressive treatment and to test whether physicians in the US practice differently from their counterparts in other countries. Data come from a random sample of practicing physicians in three industrialized countries, the United States, Canada and Germany (N = 1369). Although the case stated that the chance of survival of the patient was low, 73% of all physicians selected the aggressive treatment. Physicians from the United States were the most aggressive (86%), followed by Germany (68%) and Canada (61%). Practicing in the United States was the strongest predictor of aggressiveness in the multiple linear logistic regression; German and Canadian physicians were one fourth as likely to use aggressive treatment. Specialty training, older age and being a resident all increased the likelihood of selecting the more aggressive treatment. The fear of being sued for malpractice and income did not have an effect on treatment decisions.