Perception Bias Effects on Healthcare Management in COVID-19 Pandemic: An Application of Cumulative Prospect Theory

A scoping review of decision regret in non-communicable diseases: The emerging roles of patient-clinician communication, psychological aspects, and medical outcomes

OBJECTIVE

To map the existing literature on decision regret among patients with non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and develop an integrated framework to understand its impact on patient outcomes and healthcare processes.

METHODS

A systematic search of PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, and Scopus databases was conducted until January 2024 using the "Population, Concept, Context" framework. The review identified and analyzed 28 studies published between 2005 and 2023 in North America and Europe.

RESULTS

Decision regret primarily arises from mismatches between expected and actual treatment outcomes and is strongly influenced by patient-clinician communication quality. The need for improved informed consent processes and enhanced communication strategies to mitigate regret emerged as prevalent themes. A hypothetical theoretical path was developed to define the relationship between patient expectations, medical outcomes, and emotional responses.

CONCLUSION

Enhanced communication and personalized treatment plans are crucial for addressing the multifaceted nature of regret in healthcare. Improved patient-clinician communication and informed consent processes can significantly reduce decision regret.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Healthcare providers should focus on effective communication and education to personalize care strategies and align treatment decisions with patient expectations. This could ultimately reduce decision regret and improve patient outcomes.

Differences in Stakeholders' Perception of the Impact of COVID-19 on Clinical Care and Decision-Making

Background: Pandemics are related to changes in clinical management. Factors that are associated with individual perceptions of related risks and decision-making processes focused on prevention and vaccination, but perceptions of other healthcare consequences are less investigated. Different perceptions of patients, nurses, and physicians on consequences regarding clinical management, decisional criteria, and burden were compared. Study Design: Cross-sectional OnCoVID questionnaire studies. Methods: Data that involved 1231 patients, physicians, and nurses from 11 German institutions that were actively involved in clinical treatment or decision-making in oncology or psychiatry were collected. Multivariate statistical approaches were used to analyze the stakeholder comparisons. Results: A total of 29.2% of professionals reported extensive changes in workload. Professionals in psychiatry returned severe impact of pandemic on all major aspects of their clinical care, but less changes were reported in oncology (p < 0.001). Both patient groups reported much lower recognition of treatment modifications and consequences for their own care. Decisional and pandemic burden was intensively attributed from professionals towards patients, but less in the opposite direction. Conclusions: All of the groups share concerns about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare management and clinical processes, but to very different extent. The perception of changes is dissociated in projection towards other stakeholders. Specific awareness should avoid the dissociated impact perception between patients and professionals potentially resulting in impaired shared decision-making.