Effects of Frequent Decision Making Among Patients With Serious Illnesses

Not Applicable

Completed

Brief Summary: Decision making capacity fatigues after repeated decisions similar to skeletal muscle. The result is decision fatigue, in which subsequent decisions are altered toward the status quo. Patients are at risk for decision fatigue yet it has not been studied. The Investigator proposes a randomized study in the outpatient setting in patients at high risk for needing to make complex decisions, in an effort to determine the impact of decision fatigue on participant self-control and subsequent choices.

Detailed Description: Just as skeletal muscle fatigues after repeated use, decision-making capacity fatigues when repeated choices are made. This phenomenon, in which people experience diminished concentration and willpower after repeated decision-making, is termed decision fatigue. (1) People experiencing decision fatigue are more likely to bias subsequent choices toward the status quo. By choosing the status quo, the decision-maker reserves the option to make an alternate choice at a later time, thereby preserving possibilities. Patients and their surrogates often make complex medical decisions for which they may have little experience. Although clearly at high risk, decision fatigue has not been studied this population. To elucidate these questions, we propose a four arm study of patients in a population at high risk for making complex decisions. Participants will be randomly assigned to varied levels of decision making effort to assess for the development of resultant decision fatigue and whether it alters subsequent decisions.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria

aplastic anemia, multiple myeloma, myelodysplastic syndrome, acute myeloid leukemia, stage IIIB or IV lung cancer, mesothelioma and/or stage IIIB or IV gastrointestinal cancer (pancreatic, biliary, esophageal, gastric, hepatocellular, colon), stage IV melanoma
All participants must be over the age 18
All participants must be fluent in English

Exclusion Criteria

Any medical condition known to alter Stroop performance; i.e. significant visual impairment, blind or colorblind, sedating medications during appointment, history of cerebrovascular accident, transient ischemic attack (TIA), seizure disorder, dementia or traumatic head injury with loss of consciousness
Patients will also be ineligible if they are illiterate
Patients will be ineligible if they have either tracheostomy or are currently on hemodialysis as these would significantly alter responses to the hypothetical medical scenarios/decisions

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Contemplate only	Hypothetical scenarios and related decisions	Patients will contemplate each of the 3 scenarios but not make any decisions, then complete the Stroop test and answer the hypothetical LST question
Decide without advice	Hypothetical scenarios and related decisions	Patients will make decisions on 4 scenarios without physician advice, then complete the Stroop test and the hypothetical LST question.
Decide with advice	Hypothetical scenarios and related decisions	Patients will make decisions on 4 scenarios with physician advice, then complete the Stroop test and answer the hypothetical LST question. Within this arm, patients will receive two positive recommendations (i.e. to go ahead with the intervention) and two negative recommendations (i.e. to decline the intervention). These positive and negative recommendations will be randomly assigned upon study enrollment. With four hypothetical scenarios, there are six possible options for recommendation variations.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Stroop test score	Approximately 15 minutes	Measurement of score will be done at the conclusion of instrument completion. The Stroop test is a standard measure of self control that requires three tasks. The last task is the most difficult where the participant must suppress the urge to read the word which is the easier task and instead say the color it is printed in. Standard scoring is the number correct in the W trial minus the CW trials. This data will be collected immediately following completion.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Evidence of status quo bias	Approximately 10 minutes	Evidence of status quo bias as assessed by hypothetical decision to limit life sustaining therapy or to continue treatment. To assess for status quo bias, we will use the following technique: after the initial four hypothetical questions and Stroop testing, participants will be asked a hypothetical question about life sustaining therapy (LST). In the question, continuing life sustaining therapy will be counted as maintaining the status quo. This is based on current norms in American health care where life sustaining therapy is continued until a patient or surrogate specifically request otherwise.

Locations (1): Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States