What do subjects need to know in order to agree to participate in research?  An informed consent document is assumed to communicate the essential information, but it is not clear how carefully research participants read these documents.

The government requires that potential kidney transplant recipients be informed if an organ donor engaged in CDC categorized “high-risk” behaviors. Are these “high risk” donor kidneys associated with worse survival rates following transplantation? Does this label “high risk” result in usable kidneys being discarded?

Cancer screening is generally recommended for people over the age of 50. Screening tests, such as colonoscopies, mammograms and PSAs (prostate specific antigen), can help detect cancer at an early stage and prevent deaths. These screening tests, however, do have risks so, along with their doctor, people need to make a decision about how often to get screened and when or if one should stop getting screened.

People in the U.S. make decisions about their health on a regular basis. For example, they are often asked to consider taking medication to treat common health problems, such as hypertension. But do patients have sufficient information to make these decisions? And what factors might influence the knowledge patients have, and their treatment decisions?

With just a simple search term and a click of the mouse, a person can find a large amount of health information on the Internet. What role does the Internet play in how patients make medical decisions? Does using the Internet as a source for information to help patients make informed decisions vary by health condition? Does the Internet substitute for detailed discussions with a health care provider?

What is the impact of medical advertising that is directly targeted at patients? What information do consumers of medical products and therapies need in order to make informed decisions about their health?

Tell us what you think about certain public policies designed to reduce the incidence of diabetes in the US.

Alfred made a visit to his local Emergency Room. What was his diagnosis? What did the medical team do for his problem? What was he supposed to do to continue care at home? And what symptoms was he supposed to watch for to alert him to return to the ER?

How should the US judicial system determine compensation for  “pain and suffering”?  Take a look at a complicated case. 

After breast cancer surgery, additional treatments such as chemotherapy can reduce the risk of cancer coming back. But do women understand how much (or little) benefit chemotherapy provides?

There aren't enough donor organs to go around for patients who need a liver transplant. This sometimes forces doctors to make tough choices. If you were the doctor, how would you decide in the following scenario? 

Find out about some experimental treatments for Parkinson's Disease. And then decide how you'd respond if you had a chance to participate in this research.

People vary in their attitudes toward physical disabilities. Give us your reactions, and we'll tell you the results of surveys of the general public--and of actual patients.

What's the difference between opting in and opting out of an activity? Who decides if people will be put automatically into one category or another? Click this interactive decision to learn how default options work.

Tell us how you'd respond to the results of a blood test for fetal chromosomal problems. And find out how your response compares with that of participants in a national survey.

Many types of medical decisions involve making sense of numbers such as test results, risk statistics, or prognosis estimates. But people vary in their ability and confidence with numbers. How would you rate your own "numeracy"?

Are opinions on whether health care funding should be rationed dependent on an individual's perspective?

Click to decide between death and living with a colostomy. Which would you choose? Are you sure?

A 5% chance of death or a 10% chance of death:  which would you choose?

Could you cope and find happiness if you were living with paraplegia?

How do your risk estimate and your actual level of risk impact your anxiety?

For certain diseases, receiving treatment can disrupt daily life considerably. How would this disruption affect your happiness?

What prompts people to keep trying after failure, when there is the risk of failing again? What prompts the decision to quit?

A longer life may result from the amount of social support present in your life, but is the longevity due to giving or receiving that support?

A respected national organization has released new guidelines. As a physician, would you change your patient's treatment based on these recommendations?

What changes in organ donation policy could get more people to choose to be donors?

Because of the high cost of many prescription drugs, some people take fewer pills than prescribed. What are the health implications?

Are you willing to "cheat" a little bit for the sake of your patients? What motivates you to cheat or not cheat?

What influences your choice of a doctor?

When you decide to participate in a research study, what do you think the reserachers should inform you about?

Patients sometimes skip treatments because they just feel too busy. What should physicians do when their patients ignore their recommendations?

Out with the old drugs and in with the new! How is your doctor prescribing for you?

Rating your satisfaction with your life may not be a completely personal decision. See how your satisfaction rating may be influenced by others.

Direct action vs. indirect action--does it matter how you act if the outcome will be the same?

Do you think that your life is worth more than the amount that the government usually uses as the maximum to spend to provide one year of life?

Informal caregiving for relatives (parents, grandparents, spouses) can be time consuming. Can we attach dollar value to that time? Is everyone's time worth the same amount?

Should people with more severe health problems receive state funding for treatment before people with less severe health problems? See how your opinion compares with the opinions of others.