An interesting article by U Penn’s Nudge(?) Unit (sure hoping that’s an acronym for something because otherwise it is a terrible name) showing that cancer screening referral rates declined for patients as the day progressed.

This isn’t a new phenomenon as previous research has shown that judges “gave more lenient decisions at the start of the day and immediately after a scheduled break in court proceedings, such as lunch” (Bryant, 2011. The Guardian).

A unique aspect Santa Monica Primary Care that may mitigate this well established phenomenon of ‘decision fatigue’ is that our patients receive a personal phone call with their lab results after an annual evaluation. In this way, we have a second chance to review your comprehensive preventive plan and fill in any gaps of care.

Plus, when making phone calls, pretty much all of us snack so our glucose levels are back up into a good decision making range.