Advances in cancer prevention, screening, treatment and end-of-life care, coupled with advances in bioinformatics, have created a wide array of health care options and sources of medical information. Whereas previously the physician was generally accepted as the locus of medical decision-making, today this is no longer the case. More and more, shared decision-making, in which patients and their physicians deliberate about options using the best available evidence, is replacing the traditional paternalistic model in medicine.
As health care decisions become more of a collaborative effort between patient and provider, patients are increasingly expected to assume greater responsibility for their health decisions.
The objective of this research initiative is to enhance understanding of decision-making processes so that individuals can make more informed and effective choices regarding their health, health care and quality of life.
Specific aims: To encourage:
- Research that examines the cognitive and affective processes underlying cancer prevention and treatment decisions (e.g., medication adherence, decisions to begin or end chemotherapy, decisions to undergo risk reduction surgery)
- Research on basic decision-making processes involved in the initiation and long-term maintenance of healthy lifestyle behaviors that may reduce one's risk of cancer and other chronic diseases;
- Research that examines the construction and stability of preferences for treatment and treatment outcomes
- Research that explores how the dynamics of real-world settings influence judgment and decision-making processes
- Basic and applied research that examines health-related numeracy - how people use, process and attach meaning to health-related numeric information
- Research that examines the consequences of shared decision-making