title: When do cancer patients regret their treatment decision? A path analysis of the influence of clinicians' communication styles and the match of decision-making styles on decision regret.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To test the influence of physician empathy (PE), shared decision making (SDM), and the match between patients' preferred and perceived decision-making styles on patients' decision regret.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with breast or colon cancer (n=71) completed questionnaires immediately following (T1) and three months after a consultation (T2). Path analysis was used to examine the relationships among patient demographics, patient reports of PE, SDM, the match between preferred and perceived decision-making styles, and patient decision regret at T2.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After controlling for clinician clusters, higher PE was directly associated with more SDM (β=0.43, p<0.01) and lower decision regret (β=-0.28, p<0.01). The match between patients' preferred and perceived roles was negatively associated with decision regret (β=-0.33, p<0.01). Patients who participated less than desired reported more decision regret at T2. There was no significant association between SDM and decision regret (β=0.03, p=0.74).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PE and the match between patients' preferred and perceived roles in medical decision making are essential for patient-centered cancer consultations and treatment decisions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Ways to enhance PE and matching the consultation style to patients' expectations should be encouraged.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, University Hospital Heidelberg, Germany; Psychology III, University of Mannheim, Germany. Electronic address: nicolai@uni-mannheim.de.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nicolai
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Psychology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Buchholz
authors.affiliation: Department of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, University Hospital Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Seefried
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Katrin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Reuter
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Psychology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Härter
authors.affiliation: Department of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, University Hospital Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Eich
authors.affiliation: Department of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, University Hospital Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Christiane
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bieber
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D003142:Communication; D003657:Decision Making; D004644:Emotions; D004645:Empathy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010358:Patient Participation / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D057240:Patient Preference; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010465:Perception; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Decision-making style; Empathy; Patient involvement; Patient preferences; Physician–patient communication; Shared decision making