Table 1.
Expectation concept types with examples
| Expectation Concept Type | Expectation Concept Examplea |
|---|---|
| Generalized | Examples |
| Self‐Efficacy | ‘I am confident I will be able to handle whatever comes my way no matter the circumstances’; ‘I am certain I can get through whatever challenge I come across in any circumstance’; ‘I believe I can do anything no matter the scenario |
| Optimism | ‘Things will work out my way’; ‘In uncertain times, I usually expect the best’; ‘There will always be reasons for life to be worth living |
| Pessimism | ‘Things will not work out my way’; ‘If something can go wrong for me, it will’; ‘Things will always come up and ruin my day |
| Behavior | Examples |
| Personal Control | ‘No matter what I do, or how hard I try, I just can't seem to get relief from my pain’; ‘I will be able to exercise but it will not affect my pain’; ‘Getting surgery will remove the control my leg pain has on my life’ |
| Self‐Efficacy, Task | ‘I am not very confident I can perform the required exercise when I am feeling tired after a long day at work’; ‘I am 100% certain I can manage my finances after surgery throughout the recovery process’; ‘I am extremely confident I can take my anticoagulation medication every day after dinner’ |
| Self‐Efficacy, Coping | ‘I am certain I can endure the physical pain that can accompany exercising after surgery’; ‘I cannot overcome the frustrations of having less arm mobility when grocery shopping’; ‘I can deal with the discomfort of wearing a neck brace’ |
| Outcome, Benefit (General) | ‘Exercising after surgery will improve my recovery’; ‘Stretching will make my hip better’; ‘Following what the doctor tells me will result in things going well’ |
| Outcome, Benefit (Internal) | ‘If I reach out to people for help during my surgical recovery, I will feel less stressed’; ‘If I exercise after surgery, I will have less pain’; ‘Maintaining a healthy lifestyle will keep me from worrying about my shoulder’ |
| Outcome, Benefit (Fxn/QoL) | ‘If I follow my doctor's post‐operative instructions, I will be able to return to sports’; ‘Going back to work after surgery will improve my quality of life’; ‘If I play sports I will improve my knee mobility’ |
| Outcome, Benefit (External) | ‘Doing what the doctor says will make my wife happy’; ‘After surgery, I will be able to grocery shop, which will reduce my husband's stress’; ‘If I continue to lose weight, my doctor will think I am taking my recovery seriously’ |
| Outcome, Side Effect (General) | ‘Not exercising after surgery will slow my recovery’; ‘Continuing to run will make my knees worse’; ‘Smoking will worsen my health’ |
| Outcome, Side Effect (Internal) | ‘If I continue to smoke, I will probably have a heart attack’; ‘If I forget to take my anticoagulation medication post‐operatively, I will get a clot’; ‘If I worry too much, my pain will not go away’ |
| Outcome, Side Effect (Fxn/QoL) | ‘Not moving my arm will decrease my range of motion’; ‘If I continue to run on my knees when they hurt, I will eventually end up in a wheelchair’; ‘If I continue to live an unhealthy life, I will not be able to play with my grandkids’ |
| Outcome, Side Effect (External) | ‘I will probably get fired if I take time off work’; ‘If I ask for pain medication too often, the doctor will think I am addicted’; ‘If I am not careful when walking after surgery, my knee replacement will break’ |
| Treatment | Examplesb |
| Outcome, Nontimeline, Benefit (General) | ‘I expect a lot of improvement in my recovery as a result of physical therapy’; ‘The cortisone shot will make things better’; ‘Surgery will improve my health’ |
| Outcome, Nontimeline, Benefit (Internal) | ‘I expect the knee replacement will relieve my knee pain’; ‘The numbness in my hands will improve as a result of my surgery’; ‘Surgery will make me feel happier’ |
| Outcome, Nontimeline, Benefit (Fxn/QoL) | ‘Surgery will improve my ability to dance’; ‘I expect surgery will allow me to throw a ball’; ‘I will be able to go back to work because of my surgery’ |
| Outcome, Nontimeline, Benefit (External) | ‘Surgery will reduce my wife's stress’; ‘My friends will invite me to play golf more if I have surgery’; ‘People won't have to help me if I have the surgery’ |
| Outcome, Nontimeline, Side Effect (General) | ‘Physical therapy will make my knee worse’; ‘My health will worsen as a result of my surgery’; ‘Surgery will ruin my life’ |
| Outcome, Nontimeline, Side Effect (Internal) | ‘I expect to have a lot of post‐surgical pain’; ‘I expect to have nausea as a result of taking the anti‐inflammatory medication’; ‘I expect to gain unhealthy weight as a result of the cortisone shots’ |
| Outcome, Nontimeline, Side Effect (Fxn/QoL) | ‘Surgery will prevent me from playing sports’; ‘Surgery will limit my movements at work’; ‘I will not be able to go to class because of my surgery’ |
| Outcome, Nontimeline, Side Effect (External) | ‘I expect to lose my job as a result of my surgery’; ‘My income will go down because of my back surgery’; ‘If I have a knee replacement, my friends will think I am weak’ |
| Outcome, Timeline, Benefit (General) | ‘It will take 2 months to fully recover from surgery’; ‘I will be better in 3 weeks’; ‘My health will improve two weeks after the surgery’ |
| Outcome, Timeline, Benefit (Internal) | ‘I expect it will take 3 weeks for the cortisone shot to reduce my pain’; ‘I expect it will be 3 months until radiation improves my back pain’; ‘I expect it will take 30 minutes for the pain medication to take away my pain’ |
| Outcome, Timeline, Benefit (Fxn/QoL) | ‘I expect I will be able to walk up and down the stairs in 2 days’; ‘I expect to be able to run in 2 months’; ‘I expect I will be able to play sports in 6 months’ |
| Outcome, Timeline, Benefit (External) | ‘I expect my friends will start inviting me to play golf more within a month of having recovered’; ‘My wife will be less stressed immediately after my surgery’; ‘My children will stop treating me like a cripple within a month of surgery’ |
| Outcome, Timeline, Side Effect (General) | ‘My health will decline 2 months after my surgery’; ‘Physical therapy will make my knee worse within a month’; ‘My life will be ruined immediately after my surgery’ |
| Outcome, Timeline, Side Effect (Internal) | ‘I expect the post‐surgical pain will last for 2 days after surgery’; ‘I expect to feel nauseous for no more than 1 day after surgery’; ‘I expect I will have numbness for less than 1 week’ |
| Outcome, Timeline, Side Effect (Fxn/QoL) | ‘I will not be able to play sports for 6 months because of my surgery’; ‘I will not be able to wear the shoes I like for 3 weeks after my procedure’; ‘I will not be able to write with my right hand for 2 days after surgery’ |
| Outcome, Timeline, Side Effect (External) | ‘I expect to lose my job immediate after surgery’; ‘I expect my son will think of me as fragile for at least 6 months after surgery’; ‘If I have a knee replacement, my friends will always think I am weak’ |
| Structural | ‘I expect to be given better care at a large hospital than a small hospital’; ‘Surgeries performed by residents will result in more complications’; ‘I expect a doctor will be able to diagnose my condition more effectively than a physician assistant’ |
| Process, Nontimeline | ‘I expect the doctor will only let me go home after surgery if I have zero pain’; ‘I expect to go home, and not a rehab facility, at discharge’; ‘I expect to be given post‐surgical instructions’ |
| Process, Timeline | ‘I expect to be in the hospital for 6 days after my surgery’; ‘I expect the doctor will see me for 30 mins every morning’; ‘I expect the doctor will come see me within an hour after the surgery’ |
| Timeline | ‘I expect my knee replacement will last 30 years’; ‘I expect the stitches will disintegrate after 2 weeks’; ‘I expect the nails will never be replaced’ |
Abbreviation: Fxn/QoL, function/quality of life. aThese examples (developed by authors of this review) are a patient's expectations, but they can be rephrased to be those of a spouse, family member, friend, health care professional or any other individual associated directly or indirectly with the patient or their care. bAll treatment outcome expectation examples (developed by authors of this review) refer to the expectations of certain outcomes resulting from a treatment, irrespective of whether it is explicitly stated by the example (examples reflect what an individual would express when asked a question—”As a result of your surgery when do you expect to be able to walk up and down stairs?”