Clinician Conceptualization of the Benefits of Treatments for Individual Patients

Key Points Question How do clinicians conceptualize the benefits of treatments for common diseases? Findings In this survey study of 542 clinicians, most respondents significantly overestimated the benefits of common therapies. Clinicians who conceptualized a greater chance of benefits of therapy were more likely to treat similar patients in their practice. Meaning In this study, most clinicians were not well prepared to estimate individual patient chance of benefit, suggesting that an improved understanding of the effects of treatments could lead to more precise use of therapies and better patient outcomes.