title: Personalised medicine: the cognitive side of patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although the fashion for the "personalised" or "stratified" approach to medicine is valuable in exploiting the omic signatures of the individual patient, too little attention has been paid to the influence of psychological and cognitive factors in the care process. The aim of this paper is to highlight the importance of those individual psycho-cognitive components in affecting how people act to prevent, cope and react to illness, decide about different therapeutic options, interact with health care providers, and adhere to treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  We reviewed the medical and psychological literature about the effect of cognitive and psychological dimensions on treatment efficacy, on patients' global satisfaction, and on treatment compliance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Psychological dimensions have been proved to impact on treatment efficacy, on patients' global satisfaction, and on compliance to treatment. However, there are substantial individual differences among patients; therefore, it is important that physicians recognise how to apply these general recommendations to each individual patient, alongside the omic information emerging from the molecular diagnostic laboratory.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The exam of the current literature allows one to derive several strategies which can help health professionals to improve the patients' understanding of their disease and involvement in the whole care process.
authors: University of Milan, Department of Health Science, Milan, Italy; Applied Research Unit for Psycho-oncology, European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy. Electronic address: ilaria.cutica@unimi.it.
authors: Ilaria
authors: I
authors: Cutica
authors: European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy.
authors: Gordon Mc
authors: GM
authors: Vie
authors: University of Milan, Department of Health Science, Milan, Italy; Applied Research Unit for Psycho-oncology, European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy.
authors: Gabriella
authors: G
authors: Pravettoni
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D032882:Comprehension; D003657:Decision Making; D057220:Health Literacy; D006801:Humans; D010358:Patient Participation; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D057285:Precision Medicine
keywords: Doctor–patient communication; Medical decision making; Personalised medicine; Treatment compliance