An Exploration of Relative Health Stock in Advanced Cancer Patients
- 1 November 2004
- journal article
- research article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Medical Decision Making
- Vol. 24 (6) , 614-624
- https://doi.org/10.1177/0272989x04271041
Abstract
Objective. The authors sought to empirically test whether relative health stock, a measure of patients’ sense of loss in their health due to illness, influences the treatment decisions of patients facing life-threatening conditions. Specifically, they estimated the effect of relative health stock on advanced cancer patients’ decisions to participate in phase I clinical trials. Method. A multicenter study was conducted to survey 328 advanced cancer patients who were offered the opportunity to participate in phase I trials. The authors asked patients to estimate the probabilities of therapeutic benefits and toxicity, their relative health stock, risk preference, and the importance of quality of life. Results. Controlling for health-related quality of life, an increase in relative health stock by 10 percentage points reduced the odds of choosing to participate in a phase I trial by 16% (odds ratio = 0.84, 95% confidence interval = 0.72, 0.97). Conclusion. Relative health stock affects advanced cancer patients’ treatment decisions.Keywords
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