Table 1.

The 13 Phrases Tested in the Survey for Explaining Why Routine Screening Colonoscopy Is Not Recommended

Explanation	Phrase
Other health priorities	Your other health issues should take priority.
Guidelines	Colonoscopy is not recommended for you by medical guidelines.
Unlikely to benefit	You are unlikely to benefit from the colonoscopy.
Age	We usually stop doing colonoscopies at your age.
At risk for harms	You are at high risk for harms from the colonoscopy.
Quality of life	We should focus on quality of life instead of looking for cancer.
Downstream tests	The colonoscopy can lead to unnecessary tests or treatments.
Would not help live longer	The colonoscopy would not help you live longer.
Discomfort	The colonoscopy can be very uncomfortable.
Inconvenience	The colonoscopy can be very inconvenient to complete.
No discussion	The doctor does not mention colonoscopy.*
May not live long enough	You may not live long enough to benefit from the colonoscopy.
No explanation	The doctor does not give an explanation.†

*At the beginning of the choice tasks, additional description was given that stated: “Sometimes, if the doctor does not think a person needs a screening colonoscopy, the doctor may not mention colon cancer screening at all”

†At the beginning of the choice tasks, additional description was given that stated: “The doctor may tell a person that he does not need a colonoscopy without giving a reason”