--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: or she would choose the treatment option…" description: "\"“or she would choose the treatment option that the experts saw as “best,” in this case taking the medication. But in the Dartmouth study, this was not ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45e/jerome-groopman-23277_medicine_or-she-would-choose-the-treatment-option_577410.png" --- # or she would choose the treatment option that the experts… ![“or she would choose the treatment option that the experts saw as “best,” in this case taking the medication. But in the Dartmouth study, this was not what happened. When given clearer information, the patients weighed the risks and benefits” quote by Jerome Groopman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45e/jerome-groopman-23277_medicine_or-she-would-choose-the-treatment-option_577410.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45e/jerome-groopman-23277_medicine_or-she-would-choose-the-treatment-option_577410.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45e/jerome-groopman-23277_medicine_or-she-would-choose-the-treatment-option_577410.png) > ““or she would choose the treatment option that the experts saw as “best,” in this case taking the medication. But in the Dartmouth study, this was not what happened. When given clearer information, the patients weighed the risks and benefits”” [Jerome Groopman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-groopman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Patients often change decisions when presented with clearer, balanced information about risks and benefits. **In simple terms:** Clear info leads patients to weigh options differently. Key Takeaway Provide transparent, balanced data to patients. Themes healthcare decision‑making communication patient autonomy Mood analytical empathetic Type educational informative When to use this quote - Doctor‑patient consultations - clinical trials - patient education - policy guidelines Key Concepts risk‑benefit analysis informed consent shared decision making Questions to Reflect On - How can clinicians simplify risk information? - What tools aid patient understanding? A Different Perspective Complex data may overwhelm some patients. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Choose Treatment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choose-treatment-4753127/) [Dartmouth Study](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dartmouth-study-4753126/) [Medication Dartmouth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medication-dartmouth-4753128/) [Medicine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medicine/) [Study Happened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/study-happened-4753130/) [Treatment Option](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/treatment-option-4753129/) ## Related quotes > [I think people need to be comfortable questioning the authority of a doctor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susannah-cahalan/i-think-people-need-to-be-comfortable-questioning-the-authority-of-a/) [Susannah Cahalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susannah-cahalan/) > [I've always been interested in medicine and was pleased when my brother became a doctor. 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Don't pack whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarissa-pinkola-estes/tell-the-truth-about-your-wound-and-then-you-will-get-a-truthful/) [Clarissa Pinkola Estes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarissa-pinkola-estes/) > [Medicine is magical and magical is art, the boy in the bubble, and the baby with the baboon heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/medicine-is-magical-and-magical-is-art-the-boy-in-the-bubble-and-the/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) ## More by Jerome Groopman > [“Understanding statistics about the risks and benefits of a treatment is called “health literacy.” It”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-groopman/understanding-statistics-about-the-risks-and-benefits-of-a-treatment/) [Jerome Groopman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-groopman/) > [Hope differs from optimism. Hope does not arise from being told to "think positively," or from hearing an overly rosy forecast. Hope, unlike optimism,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-groopman/hope-differs-from-optimism-hope-does-not-arise-from-being-told-to/) [Jerome Groopman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-groopman/) > [Hope is the elevating feeling we experience when we see - in the mind's eye - a path to a better future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-groopman/hope-is-the-elevating-feeling-we-experience-when-we-see-in-the-mind-s/) [Jerome Groopman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-groopman/) > [“While it is a convenient construct to divide hope into a cognitive and an affective component, the two are tightly coupled. Feelings and emotions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-groopman/while-it-is-a-convenient-construct-to-divide-hope-into-a-cognitive/) [Jerome Groopman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-groopman/) > [There is an authentic biology of hope. 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It sees all the difficulties that exist and all the potential for failure, but through that carves a realistic path…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-groopman/true-hope-is-cleareyed-it-sees-all-the-difficulties-that-exist-and/) [Jerome Groopman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-groopman/) > [“Despite education and knowledge and experience, when you are the patient--suffering, confused, and despairing--it is very, very hard to take matters into your own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-groopman/despite-education-and-knowledge-and-experience-when-you-are-the/) [Jerome Groopman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-groopman/) > [“Hope is one of our central emotions, but we are often at a loss when asked to define it. Many of us confuse hope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-groopman/hope-is-one-of-our-central-emotions-but-we-are-often-at-a-loss-when/) [Jerome Groopman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-groopman/) > [False hope can lead to intemperate choices and flawed decision making. True hope takes into account the real threats that exist and seeks to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-groopman/false-hope-can-lead-to-intemperate-choices-and-flawed-decision-making/) [Jerome Groopman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-groopman/) > [ “One of the difficulties I experienced in trying to learn about the biology of emotions was the definition of terms...How would \[Prof. Richard Davidson\],… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-groopman/one-of-the-difficulties-i-experienced-in-trying-to-learn-about-the/) [Jerome Groopman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-groopman/) > [“also risks of taking statins. To be sure, seeing a person in front of you has a greater impact than hearing about side effects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-groopman/also-risks-of-taking-statins-to-be-sure-seeing-a-person-in-front-of/) [Jerome Groopman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-groopman/) > [“A book is an experiment, and as with all experiments, there is a sense of uncertainty about how it will turn out.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-groopman/a-book-is-an-experiment-and-as-with-all-experiments-there-is-a-sense/) [Jerome Groopman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-groopman/) > [“to taking an action that could make life even worse. Psychologists call this “loss aversion.” Research in cognitive”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-groopman/to-taking-an-action-that-could-make-life-even-worse-psychologists/) [Jerome Groopman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-groopman/) > [Help, then, is the ballast that keeps us steady, that recognizes where along the path are the dangers and pitfalls that can throw us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-groopman/help-then-is-the-ballast-that-keeps-us-steady-that-recognizes-where/) [Jerome Groopman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-groopman/) [Explore all 26 Jerome Groopman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-groopman/) ## More Medicine quotes > [I think people need to be comfortable questioning the authority of a doctor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susannah-cahalan/i-think-people-need-to-be-comfortable-questioning-the-authority-of-a/) [Susannah Cahalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susannah-cahalan/) > [Tell the truth about your wound, and then you will get a truthful picture of the remedy to apply to it. 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That's a big deal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-schneider/making-sure-that-people-have-access-to-preventive-medicine-for-the/) [Brad Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-schneider/) > [being asked to decide between your passion for work and your passion for children was like being asked by your doctor whether you preferred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-bevington/being-asked-to-decide-between-your-passion-for-work-and-your-passion/) [Helen Bevington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-bevington/) > [We ought to observe that practice which is the hardest of all-especially for young physicians-we ought to throw in no medicine at all-to abstain-to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-randolph-of-roanoke/we-ought-to-observe-that-practice-which-is-the-hardest-of-all/) [John Randolph of Roanoke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-randolph-of-roanoke/) > [“old-fashioned, gentle Scottish physician, unmoved by the considerations of profit and personal gain that could so disfigure medicine. 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