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Numerous studies suggest that physicians make both conscious and unconscious assumptions about their patients, and these assumptions often impact patient care and outcomes. However, little research has focused on the assumptions patients make about their physicians.Researchers designed an observational study to investigate assumptions made by patients in health care settings. For this study, three different surgeons were asked to interact with pre-surgery patients whom they had never met using a standardized script. Each surgeon participated in 30 total interactions over the course of two weeks. The purpose of the study was to assess how the patient's assumptions regarding the surgeon's status were impacted by the surgeon's race, gender, and attire.According to the script, the surgeon did not introduce him- or herself upon entering the room. All three surgeons were in their late 40s; one surgeon was a black woman, one was a black man, and one was a white man. The surgeons wore either surgical scrubs alone or a white coat over their surgical scrubs. Researchers analyzed how patients addressed or referred to the surgeon to assess assumptions about the surgeon's role as a doctor or a nurse. The results are presented in Table 1.Table 1 Percentage of Patients Who Assumed the Surgeon Was a Doctor or a Nurse
The researchers also retrospectively analyzed minor (non-life-threatening) surgical errors and postoperative patient outcomes for one month prior to the study and during the study timeframe for each surgeon. The number of minor errors was averaged per surgery, and postoperative patient outcomes were quantified using a multifactor (eg, pain, infection, bleeding, other complications) assessment scale of 1 (worst outcome) to 12 (best outcome) .Table 2 Average Number of Minor Surgical Errors (Per Surgery) and Aggregated Postoperative Patient Outcome Scores

-Based on the concept of the looking-glass self, which of the following unintended study effects is most likely?

Question

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Numerous studies suggest that physicians make both conscious and unconscious assumptions about their patients, and these assumptions often impact patient care and outcomes. However, little research has focused on the assumptions patients make about their physicians.Researchers designed an observational study to investigate assumptions made by patients in health care settings. For this study, three different surgeons were asked to interact with pre-surgery patients whom they had never met using a standardized script. Each surgeon participated in 30 total interactions over the course of two weeks. The purpose of the study was to assess how the patient's assumptions regarding the surgeon's status were impacted by the surgeon's race, gender, and attire.According to the script, the surgeon did not introduce him- or herself upon entering the room. All three surgeons were in their late 40s; one surgeon was a black woman, one was a black man, and one was a white man. The surgeons wore either surgical scrubs alone or a white coat over their surgical scrubs. Researchers analyzed how patients addressed or referred to the surgeon to assess assumptions about the surgeon's role as a doctor or a nurse. The results are presented in Table 1.Table 1 Percentage of Patients Who Assumed the Surgeon Was a Doctor or a Nurse

The researchers also retrospectively analyzed minor (non-life-threatening) surgical errors and postoperative patient outcomes for one month prior to the study and during the study timeframe for each surgeon. The number of minor errors was averaged per surgery, and postoperative patient outcomes were quantified using a multifactor (eg, pain, infection, bleeding, other complications) assessment scale of 1 (worst outcome) to 12 (best outcome) .Table 2 Average Number of Minor Surgical Errors (Per Surgery) and Aggregated Postoperative Patient Outcome Scores

-Based on the concept of the looking-glass self, which of the following unintended study effects is most likely?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

11ecba2d_0cc5_b1e8_a3bf_95f9e70e0653_MD0008_00 Charles Cooley proposed the concept of the looking-glass self, which focuses on routine social interactions between individuals (and is therefore part of the symbolic interactionism perspective). The looking-glass self suggests that self-concept (beliefs about oneself) is derived from social interactions with others: the way an individual is perceived and treated by others impacts how they then perceive themselves. For example, if a female surgeon is assumed to be a nurse by most of her patients, these interactions will have an effect on her self-concept. Because "nurse" is a lower status role than "surgeon," the impact of this assumption is most likely to have a negative effect on self-concept, such as feelings of insecurity. (Choice B) The white surgeon is correctly assumed to be a surgeon by all of his patients. He is therefore treated in accordance with his actual status, which is not an unintended consequence of study participation. (Choices C and D) According to the methodological description of the study, the surgeons were not asked to play any role. Rather, the purpose of the study was to see what assumptions the patients would make about the surgeon based on his or her gender, race, and attire. Educational objective: Charles Cooley's looking-glass self theory is part of the symbolic interactionism perspective and states that an individual's self-concept is shaped by how others perceive him or her.

Passage Numerous Studies Suggest That Physicians Make Both Conscious and Unconscious