Abstract
Objective: No study has so far examined the biases associated with the physical attractiveness stereotype during the process of medical decision making. This study assessed the impact of patients' attractiveness on the diagnosis of kidney or bladder stones.Methods: A computer-based, within-subjects experimental design was used. 34 male family physicians were presented with the same clinical scenario of a 25-year old woman presenting with dysuria complaints. Participants were then presented with facial photos of attractive and unattractive female patients interchangeably. Each photo was followed by a KUB X-ray of kidney or bladder stones. Participants were asked to describe the X-rays.Results: Controlling for the effect of clinical experience, doctors were 3.67 times more likely to miss the diagnosis of kidney or bladder stones on the X-rays of unattractive patients compared to the X-rays of attractive patients (B=1.299, p = .020, Exp(B)=3.667).Conclusion: This study highlights the cognitive biases associated with patient attractiveness during the diagnostic process. It shows that patient attractiveness interferes with physicians' information processing when reading an X-ray, and decreases the likelihood of a missed diagnosis.Practice Implications: The results of this study have severe implications in patient safety and the improvement of the delivered quality of care.
Published Version
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