Delay discounting and low-value care decision-making by primary care clinicians in a survey-based vignette experiment

Abstract Introduction Primary care clinicians (PCC) commonly make decisions in the context of time delay and uncertainty. Delay discounting (DD) and probability discounting (PD) are cognitive biases related to delay and uncertainty that are minimally explored in PCC. We assessed DD and PD in PCC and evaluated their association with low-value care (LVC) decision-making. Methods We administered a survey to PCC in a Southeastern U.S health system and within the American Academy of Family Physicians networks. The survey comprised standardized psychometric assessments of DD and PD and four LVC clinical vignettes. Outcomes included DD and PD discounting rates for two monetary rewards ($100 and $10,000) and ratings of LVC likelihood (0-100). We used regression analysis with model selection to evaluate the relationship between variables. Results 225 PCC (89% physicians, 11% advanced practice providers) participated. Heterogeneity in DD and PD rates was observed. For the $10,000 reward, ln k(DD)= -6.80, IQR:-7.60--6.10) and ln h(PD)= 1.75, IQR:1.75-2.36). The reward amount impacted DD and PD in opposing directions (i.e., lower DD/higher PD rates for $10,000 vs. $100). LVC likelihood was highest for low-value antibiotics and lowest for low-value cervical cancer screening (median 20, IQR:10-40 and 0, IQR:0-10, respectively). Model selection revealed demographic associations with LVC likelihood, but no association with DD or PD. Conclusions Consistent with effects previously reported in non-clinicians, PCC exhibited a range of DD and PD, which ranged by reward magnitude. Neither DD nor PD predicted vignette-based LVC likelihood. Further research should investigate actual clinical practice patterns and other LVC scenarios.