Table 1.
Characteristics of the Study Physicians (N=27)
| Characteristic | Measure N=27 |
|---|---|
| Role, n (%) | |
| Emergency physician | 6 (22.2 %) |
| Hospitalist | 13 (48.1 %) |
| Intensivist | 8 (29.6 %) |
| Residency training, n (%) | |
| Emergency medicine | 7 (25.9 %) |
| General surgery | 2 (7.4 %) |
| Internal medicine | 16 (59.3 %) |
| Anesthesiology | 2 (7.4 %) |
| Fellowship type, n (%) | |
| Critical care/pulmonary critical care | 8/ (29.6 %) |
| No fellowship | 7 (25.9 %) |
| General medicine | 7 (25.9 %) |
| Emergency medicine research | 3 (11.1 %) |
| Palliative care | 1 (3.7 %) |
| Age, mean ± SD (range) | 41.3 ± 9.5 (30–67) |
| Years since medical school graduation, mean ± SD (range) | 15.3 ± 9.0 (4–41) |
| Years at the University of Pittsburgh, mean ± SD (range) | 10.2 ± 8.9 (1–37) |
| Female, n (%) | 9 (33.3 %) |
| Race, n (%) | |
| Non-Hispanic white | 22 (81.5 %) |
| Asian | 5 (18.5 %) |
| Risk Attitude, n (%) | |
| Risk averse, certain gain (vs. risk seeking) | 21 (77.8 %) |
| Risk averse, certain loss (vs. risk seeking) | 18 (66.7 %) |
| Physicians’ Reactions to Uncertainty, mean ±SD | |
| Anxiety due to uncertainty subscale (possible range: 5–30) | 15.1 ±5.1 |
| Concern about bad outcomes subscale (possible range: 3–18) | 8.5 ±3.6 |
| Reluctance to disclose uncertainty to patients subscale (possible range: 5–30) | 10.8 ±3.9 |
| Reluctance to disclose mistakes to physicians subscale (possible range: 2–12) | 4.2 ±1.7 |