Great expectations: What do patients expect and how can expectations be managed?

Abstract

Patients’ expectations of their treatment are a key determinant in their satisfaction with treatment. Expectations may encompass not only notions of the outcome of treatment, but also the process of treatment. This article explores the processes by which expectations are formed, differences in expectations across patient groups, and the psychopathology of individuals with unrealistic expectations of treatment manifest in body dysmorphic disorder.

Keywords:

• Expectations
• treatment outcomes
• satisfaction
• body dysmorphic disorder