Tag Archives: medical decision making

Is There a Smart Way to Use the New Oncotype Prostate Cancer Test?

Posted on Wednesday, June 5, 2013

On May 8th, the makers of the oncotype DX Prostate Cancer Test presented results of a large study demonstrating that their test can help men decide whether their prostate cancer carries a low enough risk of progression to forgo surgical or … Continue reading →

Posted in Medical Decision Making | Tagged , , ,

Why Do Patients Take Their Doctor’s Advice?

Posted on Thursday, April 18, 2013

Is it the white coat?  That’s what I wondered in medical school when I would find patients asking me for advice on topics they simply had to know more about than me.  Mothers would ask me how to get their newborn … Continue reading →

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Is It Hazardous to Guess Your Risk of Cancer?

Posted on Friday, April 5, 2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXyjVlEKr3E&feature=youtu.be

In this two-minute video, I explained why it can be hazardous to take a guess at what your lifetime risk is of experiencing cancer. I describe a study I conducted with, among others, Angie Fagerlin. This is one of my … Continue reading →

Posted in Critical Decisions | Tagged ,

Robots Taking Over the Surgical World?

Posted on Wednesday, March 6, 2013

In a recent Atlantic post, James Hamblin reports on the increasing frequency with which surgeons perform hysterectomies with the assistance of robots.  Here is a picture from that post: To be clear: robotic surgery doesn’t mean a robot performs the … Continue reading →

Posted in Health Policy, Medical Decision Making | Tagged ,

Price Transparency at its WORST

Posted on Wednesday, February 13, 2013

You may have heard this week about a new study, led by my friend and colleague Pete Cram, which revealed astonishing variation in prices for hip replacement surgery. Staggering, actually—ranging from a bit over $10,000 to over $125,000.  I have … Continue reading →

Posted in Health Policy, Medical Decision Making | Tagged , , ,

Deciding About Breast Cancer Chemotherapy

Posted on Wednesday, January 23, 2013

As if being diagnosed with breast cancer wasn’t bad enough, many women with this diagnosis face complicated decisions about what kind of medicine or chemotherapy to take, if any, to reduce their chance of cancer recurrence.  As I discussed in … Continue reading →

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