The Impact of Emergency Physician Empathy on Litigation Propensity

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.

Inclusion criteria

• Emergency Room Patient

Exclusion criteria

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