Risk rate neglect in decisions involving invasive diagnostic procedures.

ABSTRACT

To investigate whether the risk of life-threatening complications influence the decisions involving invasive diagnostic procedures, a study was conducted that focused on the use of coronary angiography and endomyocardial biopsy with risk rates of either 1% or 2%. The participants included 38 physicians from two university-affiliated hospitals. Of their 76 pairs of decisions, 53% were of the "risk-avoidance" type and 26% were of the "risk-taking" type. Only 13% of decisions were of the "risk-conscious" type. The practical implication of these biases can be substantial in real-life decisions regarding events with low-probability, but high-consequence risks.