How Behavioral Economics Can Improve Patient Decisions About Lung Cancer Screening

Lung cancer can be deadly, so early detection and treatment are important. When a patient is at risk for lung cancer due to her age and history of smoking, she and her physician have to make important decisions about how and when to screen for lung cancer. Low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) is recommended for smokers, but a doctor and patient need to work together to decide if this type of lung cancer screening is right for the patient. Because the decision is complex and the stakes are high, some cognitive biases can interfere with a patient’s ability to make good choices. Behavioral economics helps explain how human biases and cognitive limitations interfere with rational decision making. If physicians and patients recognize and understand these biases, they can take steps to address them and reach the best decision. Understanding Human Biases One bias explained through behavioral economics is loss aversion, the tendency for people to weigh losses more heavily than gains. For example, a patient might consider the costs of LDCT — such as travel time, anxiety about the results, and time off work — to be greater than the benefits of LDCT, such as early detection of lung cancer. Similarly, present bias allows people to weigh the present more heavily than the future. Screening for lung cancer with LDCT could be uncomfortable and requires an investment of time, whereas the benefits of LDCT occur in the future. These biases could make patients less likely to choose ...
Source: Society for Participatory Medicine - Category: Journals (General) Authors: Tags: Newsletter Behavioral economics Source Type: news