[Physician-patient relations--participation of patients with ureteral calculi in clinical decision making and level of anxiety].

: In a study examining the relationship between patient participation in clinical decision making and levels of anxiety, patients were offered a choice of treatment for ureteral calculus. 42 received information about 2 treatment options, ultrasound fragmentation of the stone through a ureteroscope and extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL), and were asked to choose the method that they preferred. 54 received treatment decided on by the physician without their participation in the decision making process. Anxiety was measured before meeting with the physician, immediately after the meeting and on hospitalization for treatment. The contribution of the patient's perception of participation in the decision-making process and level of education was also examined. There was a decrease in level of anxiety after meeting with the physician only among those who did not actually participate in the decision-making process (p < 0.05). There was no change in the level of anxiety among those offered choice of treatment. However, a decrease in anxiety was evident among patients who perceived that they had received information about their illness and its treatment (p < 0.01). This was not the case for patients who perceived themselves as participants in decision making unless they had a relatively high-level of education (p = 0.05).