title: Attitudes to risk taking in medical decision making among British, Dutch and Belgian general practitioners.
abstract: The attitudes of groups of general practitioners in Belgium, the UK and the Netherlands to risk taking in medical decision making have been determined. The results indicate that many doctors seek to minimize the risks that they take when treating patients. Doctors in Belgium had the highest levels of 'no risk-taking' attitudes with 60% preferring not to take risks; Dutch doctors had the lowest levels with only 24% preferring not to take risks. Possible explanations for this difference include the differences in doctor-patient relationship and the systems of medical education in these two countries.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Quality Assurance in Research in Family Practice, University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Grol
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Whitfield
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: De Maeseneer
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mokkink
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001530:Belgium; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003657:Decision Making; D006801:Humans; D009426:Netherlands; D010821:Physicians, Family; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D012107:Research Design; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D006113:United Kingdom