How psychiatrists inform themselves and their patients about risks and benefits of antipsychotic treatment, Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, Aug 2009, Volume 120 Issue 2, Pages 112 - 119
Correspondence to Rosmarie Mendel, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Technische Universität München, Möhlstraße 26, 81675 München, Germany. 1 Kissling W., 2 Frey D., 1 Heres S., 3 Jonas E., 2 Traut-Mattausch E., 1 Hamann J., 1 Mendel R.
Abstract:
Objective: In order to choose the best treatment option, physicians have to inform themselves and their patients about both the benefits and risks of available treatment options equally. Our study aims to investigate whether psychiatrists actually do conduct such a balanced information search and presentation.
Method: Psychiatrists’ information search and information presentation to a patient with schizophrenia were studied using two separate experiments. In both, participants were presented with hypothetical case vignettes and descriptions of fictitious antipsychotics.
Results: When searching for information, psychiatrists looked more for risks than benefits of antipsychotic treatment options (t = −3.4, df = 74, P = 0.001). However, when informing a patient, they named more benefits than risks (t = 17.1, df = 224, P < 0.001).
Conclusion: The risk-biased information search presumably follows the principle of ‘primum non nocere’. The benefit-biased information presentation might be motivated by the wish to persuade patients to accept the proposed therapy.
Lancashire Care staff can request the full-text of this paper, email: susan.jennings@landcashirecare.nhs.uk
Filed under: 1, Pharmacy, Schizophrenia, psychopharmacology | Tagged: schizophrenia and disorders with psychotic features • physician's practice patterns • decision-making • patient education • bias
