The attitude-behavior discrepancy in medical decision making

الملخص EN

Background : In medical practice, the dissatisfaction of patients about medical decisions made by doctors is often regarded as the fuse of doctor-patient conflict.

However, a few studies have looked at why there are such dissatisfactions.

Objectives : This experimental study aimed to explore the discrepancy between attitude and behavior within medical situations and its interaction with framing description.

Patients and Methods : A total of 450 clinical undergraduates were randomly assigned to six groups and investigated using the classic medical decision making problem, which was described either in a positive or a negative frame (2) × decision making behavior \ attitude to risky plan\attitude to conservative plan (3).

Results: A discrepancy between attitude and behavior did exist in medical situations.

Regarding medical dilemmas, if the mortality rate was described, subjects had a significant tendency to choose a conservative plan (t = 3.55, P < 0.01) yet if the survival rate was described, there was no such preference (t = -1.48, P > 0.05).

However, regardless of the plan chosen by the doctor, the subjects had a significant opposing attitude (P < .05).

Framing description had a significant impact on both decision making behavior and attitude (t behavior = -3.24, P < 0.01；t attitude to surgery = 4.08，P < 0.01；t attitude to radiation = -2.15，P < 0.05).

Conclusions : A discrepancy of attitude-behavior does exist in medical situations.

The framing of a description has an impact on medical decision-making.