The researchers were surprised by what they found when they tabulated the emotional responses reported by the study participants for each scenario. Interestingly, the scenarios that involved deciding for a child or a patient triggered more emotional involvement than those involving decisions for oneself. Zikmund-Fisher speculates that this may be because it's easier to summon up the potential emotional impact of making a wrenching decision for someone else than to imagine oneself in a situation that doesn't exist.

The researchers are now working to extend their work into studying decisions about end-of-life situations, where choices are often wrenching for families and clinicians alike. They also hope to perform studies of specific patient populations, rather than the general public sample used in the current study. The study's authors include, in addition to Zikmund-Fisher and Ubel, Angela Fagerlin, Ph.D. and Brianna Sarr, B.S., of the CDBSM. The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health.

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Contact: Kara Gavin
kegavin@umich.edu
734-764-2220
University of Michigan Health System
31-May-2006