Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
2
pubmed:dateCreated
1991-9-12
pubmed:abstractText
Individual differences in physicians' laboratory use and referral rates are important aspects of practice variation that have real financial and health consequences. A way to explain these differences is needed. In this empirical study, physicians' risk attitudes (measured on a multidimensional scale) are shown to be good predictors of use rates for certain specific laboratory procedures, but not good predictors of physicians' referral rates. A 15-item survey form that measured risk-taking attitudes in the financial, health, social, and ethical domains was administered to all clinical faculty at an academic family practice center (n = 14). Each physician's utilization rates for the 17 most frequently ordered laboratory procedures were calculated for all patient visits for one calendar year. Overall referral rates were calculated for the same period. Physicians' risk attitudes (12 completed the survey) accounted for over 50% of the variance for several of the laboratory procedures. For example, the rank-order correlation between the complete blood count utilization rate and a Likert-scale item measuring physicians' propensity to take physical risks was 0.91 (p less than 0.001). The details of these findings help to explain an important component of practice variation.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:issn
0272-989X
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
11
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
125-30
pubmed:dateRevised
2011-11-17
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:articleTitle
Physicians' risk attitudes, laboratory usage, and referral decisions: the case of an academic family practice center.
pubmed:affiliation
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Department of Family Medicine, Oklahoma City 73104.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article