Afraid to Get Tested? Slow Down and Think About It

published on August 13, 2013 in The New York Times

Many patients are eager to search bottomless troves of health information on the Internet. But when it comes to learning whether they are at risk for certain diseases by getting a medical test, millions would rather just not know.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in three patients infected with H.I.V. do not get tested in sufficient time to benefit from existing treatments. The research literature is rife with studies of low rates for colonoscopies, mammograms and an array of genetic testing.

Now researchers in the psychology department at the University of Florida have been trying to find ways to help such patients change from evading testing, a phenomenon psychologists call “health information avoidance,” to seeking it.

Jan Hoffman
The New York Times
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Afraid to Get Tested? Slow Down and Think About It

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