AHRQ Patient Safety Network ► An experimental study of medical error explanations: do apology, empathy, corrective action, and compensation alter intentions and attitudes?

AHRQ Patient Safety Network





An experimental study of medical error explanations: do apology, empathy, corrective action, and compensation alter intentions and attitudes?

Nazione S, Pace K. J Health Commun. 2015 Jul 2; [Epub ahead of print].

This simulation study of the disclosure process following a medical error demonstrates the importance of perceived empathy in patient feelings of anger, desire for compensation, and behavioral intentions toward the physician. This study also confirms the role of error severity in the decision to seek compensation, consistent with prior studies of medical malpractice.

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