About Basic and Applied Decision Making in Cancer Control

Advances in cancer prevention, screening, treatment and end-of-life care, coupled with advances in bioinformatics, have created a wide array of health care options and sources of medical information. Whereas previously the physician was generally accepted as the locus of medical decision making, today this is no longer the case.

More and more, health care decisions have become a collaborative effort among the provider, the patient and the patient's family. The objective of this research initiative is to enhance understanding of human decision-making processes so that individuals can make more informed and satisfying choices regarding their health, health care and quality of life.

This initiative encourages:

• Research that examines the cognitive and affective processes underlying decision making;
• Research on basic decision-making processes involved in the initiation and long-term maintenance of healthy lifestyle behaviors that may reduce one's risk of cancer and other chronic diseases;
• Basic and applied research that examines health-related numeracy - how people use, process and attach meaning to health-related numeric information.

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