March 10th, 2009 by 
Alan Schwartz
Many patients in many countries don’t pay the full cost of their medical care, which makes cost a less important factor in medical decision making, for both many patients and many physicians.
On the other hand, nearly everyone pays the full cost of their veterinary care, and taking your pet to the vet is a good time to think about how medical decisions should get made.
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October 27th, 2008 by Alan Schwartz
I was recently at a workshop for National Science Foundation Principal Investigators focused on how to communicate research to the public and the media. One of the suggestions was to develop a three-word summary of the principle message of your research work. This is hard.
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Posted in Goals of medical care, Understanding uncertainty, Valuing health | 1 Comment »
September 30th, 2008 by Alan Schwartz
The September 30, 2008 New York Times has a new feature section on “Decoding your Health”, which includes, among other articles, “Searching for Clarify: A Primer on Medical Studies” by Gina Kolata, an outstanding science writer. It also includes “You Can Find Dr. Right, With Some Effort” by Roni Caryn Rabin, which offers sound advice about how patients might go about selecting physicians.
The problem of choosing a physician is not a trivial one.
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March 30th, 2008 by Alan Schwartz
“Buy on apples, sell on cheese” is an old proverb among wine merchants. Taking a bite of an apple before tasting wine makes it easier to detect flaws in the wine, and the buyer who does so will not as easily make the mistake of paying more than the wine is worth. Cheese, on the other hand, pairs well with wine and enhances its flavor, so a seller who offers cheese may command a higher price for the wine (and may even deserve it, if the wine is intended to be drunk with cheese).
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November 6th, 2006 by Alan Schwartz
Every guide to decision making emphasizes the importance of goals. Decision makers must clarify their goals when making a decision, lest they make choices that will not serve their ends. To consider alternatives without knowing one’s goals is to let the tail wag the dog.
Practically speaking, most medical decision models don’t (and perhaps can’t) consider patient goals directly. Good clinicians, however, must (and do).
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