The Impact of Emergency Physician Empathy on Litigation Propensity

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.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Empathy

Detailed 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.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 437

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • California
    • Loma Linda, California, United States, 92354
      • Loma Linda University Emergency Department

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

Emergency room patients

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Emergency Room Patient

Exclusion Criteria:

• Non-English speaking
• Not healthy enough to be in waiting room

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Observational Models: Cohort
• Time Perspectives: Prospective

Number of groups / cohorts

1

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Emergency Room Patients

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
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

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
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
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
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
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

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Loma Linda University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Dustin Smith, MD, Loma Linda University; Study Director: Ellen Reibling, PhD, Loma Linda University; Study Director: Jesse Kellar, MD, Loma Linda University; Study Director: Steve Green, MD, Loma Linda University; Study Director: Elizabeth Walters, MD, Loma Linda University

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Smith DD, Kellar J, Walters EL, Reibling ET, Phan T, Green SM. Does emergency physician empathy reduce thoughts of litigation? A randomised trial. Emerg Med J. 2016 Aug;33(8):548-52. doi: 10.1136/emermed-2015-205312. Epub 2016 Mar 21.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: April 1, 2013
• Primary Completion (Actual): June 1, 2013
• Study Completion (Actual): December 1, 2013

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 18, 2013
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 22, 2013
• First Posted (Estimate): April 23, 2013

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): October 3, 2014
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 1, 2014
• Last Verified: October 1, 2014

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Empathy; Communication; Physician litigation
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pathologic Processes; Disease Attributes; Emergencies
• Other Study ID Numbers: RS-5120206