The Impact of Emergency Physician Empathy on Litigation Propensity

Empathy Clinical Trial

Official title:

The Impact of Emergency Physician Empathy on Litigation Propensity

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT01837706
• Other study ID #: RS-5120206
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• First received: April 18, 2013
• Last updated: October 1, 2014
• Start date: April 2013
• Est. completion date: December 2013

Study information

• Verified date: October 2014
• Source: Loma Linda University
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Health authority: United States: Institutional Review Board
• Study type: Observational

Clinical Trial Summary

The purpose of this study is to observe whether people would report being less likely to sue a physician who shows more empathy when giving a patient potentially bad news regarding their medical condition.

Description:

The investigators hypothesized that patients will have less propensity to sue emergency physicians after a poor outcome if the physician demonstrated empathy by verbalizing that they recognize the patient is concerned about their symptoms, and that the patient knows their typical state of health better than a physician seeing them for the first time. Accordingly, the investigators will assess whether the presence or absence of emergency physician empathetic statements in videotaped simulated encounters will alter patient propensity towards litigation. Secondary objectives are to assess whether the presence or absence of empathetic statements alters patient perceptions of discharge instruction clarity, physician expertness, physician caring, and physician desirability.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 437
• Est. completion date: December 2013
• Est. primary completion date: June 2013
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: Both
• Age group: 18 Years and older

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Emergency Room Patient

Exclusion Criteria:

• Non-English speaking

• Not healthy enough to be in waiting room

Study Design

Observational Model: Cohort, Time Perspective: Prospective

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Empathy

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
United States	Loma Linda University Emergency Department	Loma Linda	California

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Loma Linda University

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United States, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Intention to sue	This outcome will be assessed by asking "Would you sue this doctor?" after viewing a short video. Items will be measured on a 5-point scale (1=Definitely no to 5=Definitely yes).	Immediately after viewing	No
Secondary	Assessment of physician expertise	This outcome will be assessed by asking "Do you believe this physician is an expert?" after viewing a short video. Items will be measured on a 5-point scale (1=Definitely no to 5=Definitely yes).	Immediately after viewing	No
Secondary	Assessment of physician caring	This outcome will be assessed by asking "Do you think this doctor cared about the patient?" after viewing a short video. Items will be measured on a 5-point scale (1=Definitely no to 5=Definitely yes).	Immediately after viewing	No
Secondary	Assessment of whether subject would want to be physician's patient	This outcome will be assessed by asking "Would you want this physician as your doctor?" after viewing a short video. Items will be measured on a 5-point scale (1=Definitely no to 5=Definitely yes).	Immediately after viewing	No
Secondary	Assessment of clarity of physician instructions	This outcome will be assessed by asking "Did you understand the instructions the doctor gave the patient?" after viewing a short video. Items will be measured on a 5-point scale (1=Definitely no to 5=Definitely yes).	Immediatley after viewing	No