title: Predictors of physicians' satisfaction with their management of uncertainty during a decision-making encounter with a simulated advanced stage cancer patient.
abstract: To optimize their training, predictors of physicians' satisfaction with their management of uncertainty should be examined. This study investigated these predictors by using a simulated advanced stage cancer patient.
  
  
  
  Physicians (n=85) rated their satisfaction with their management of uncertainty (Visual Analog Scale-100mm) after a decision-making encounter. Communication predictors were examined with the: Observing Patient Involvement scale (OPTION), Multidimensional analysis of Patient Outcome Predictions (MD.POP) and Communication Content Analysis Software (LaComm). Psychological predictors were assessed with the: Intolerance of Uncertainty Inventory (IUI), Physicians' Reactions to Uncertainty scale (PRU), Decisional Conflict Scale (DCS), and Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy (JSPE).
  
  
  
  Physicians' satisfaction (mean=67mm; standard deviation=17mm) was not predicted by their communication, but by their anxiety due to uncertainty (PRU) (β=-.42; p=<.001) and their perceived empathy (JSPE) (β=.26; p=.009). These variables accounted for 25% of variance in physicians' satisfaction.
  
  
  
  Physicians' satisfaction with their management of uncertainty was not affected by their communication performance, but by their psychological characteristics.
  
  
  
  Training programs should increase physicians' awareness regarding the communication performance required in decision-making encounters under conditions of uncertainty.
authors.affiliation: Unité de recherche en psychosomatique et en psycho-oncologie, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium; Institut Jules Bordet, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Libert
authors.affiliation: Unité de recherche en psychosomatique et en psycho-oncologie, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium; Service de psychologie, Hopital Universitaire Erasme, Brussels, Belgium. Electronic address: delphine.canivet@erasme.ulb.ac.be.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Canivet
authors.affiliation: Institut Jules Bordet, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ménard
authors.affiliation: Faculté de psychologie, Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Van Achte
authors.affiliation: Centre de Psycho-Oncologie (CPO): training and research group, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Farvacques
authors.affiliation: Unité de recherche en psychosomatique et en psycho-oncologie, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium; Institut Jules Bordet, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Merckaert
authors.affiliation: Institut Jules Bordet, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Liénard
authors.affiliation: Institut Jules Bordet, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Klastersky
authors.affiliation: Faculté de psychologie, Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Reynaert
authors.affiliation: Centre de Psycho-Oncologie (CPO): training and research group, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: J-L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Slachmuylder
authors.affiliation: Centre de Psycho-Oncologie (CPO): training and research group, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: J-F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Durieux
authors.affiliation: Unité de recherche en psychosomatique et en psycho-oncologie, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium; Service de psychologie, Hopital Universitaire Erasme, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Delvaux
authors.affiliation: Unité de recherche en psychosomatique et en psycho-oncologie, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium; Institut Jules Bordet, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Razavi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003142:Communication; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D010358:Patient Participation; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D016544:Patient Simulation; D010820:Physicians / Q000523:psychology*; D035501:Uncertainty
keywords: Cancer; Communication; Physician; Satisfaction; Simulated patient; Uncertainty