The caesarean section decision: Patients' choices are not determined by immediate emotional reactions

Summary

One hundred and seven women performed a lottery test to determine at what excess risk of fetal death associated with labour they were indifferent about whether they underwent elective caesarean section, assuming no excess maternal mortality. The results ranged from a fetal risk of 0.05 or less per 1000, to 250 per 1000. A subgroup of women who had requested home delivery were indifferent at higher risks and one of pregnant women at slightly lower fetal risks. In 36 cases the degree of interference in a colour naming task by two groups of emotionally significant words (bad outcome and medical intervention words, respectively) was also measured. Interference in colour naming occurred with both groups of words, but the ratio between the degree of interference by bad fetal outcome words and that by medical intervention words did not correlate with the levels of indifference on the lottery. This suggests that for most people expressed utilities are not determined by immediate emotional responses.