Research Areas
Funders
NIA/NIH P30AG034546 (Roybal Pilot Project)
The Greenwall Foundation
Perspectives on the Intentional Use of Benevolent Deception in Patient & Physician Communication
Patients, surrogates, and physicians partnering in the process of shared decision making may view selected forms or circumstances of deception as acceptable in order to avoid the real or perceived suffering associated with discussion of negative outcome. The overall objective of this project is to collect pilot data comparing the degree to which the deception of patients by physicians is viewed as appropriate by three groups: (1) patients, (2) actual or potential surrogate decision makers, and (3) physicians who care for seriously ill patients. This study will provide novel, empirical data on key stakeholders’ attitudes towards and preferences for deception during physician-patient communication and directly inform future studies that will influence clinical practice and policies for physicians communicating with patients.