Patients Who Deceive

Abstract

Afield investigation was completed surveying the communication practices of 754 adults. Questionnaire items were designed to tap the multidimensional nature of deception in patient-physician interactions. A battery of sociodemographic items was also included. Data reduction techniques were used to produce a measurement model with concealment lequivocation, falsification, and truthfulness as three orthogonal, internally reliable dimensions of deceptive communication in the practice of clinical medicine. Statistical controls indicated that social desirability of honest versus duplicitous responses were not correlated with willingness to admit using deception in patient-physician interactions. Summaries offrequency of use of different kinds of deceptive communication by different population subgroups were offered. Discussion focused on the theoretical utility of the measurement model and the practical implications for the practice of medicine. Finally, information management techniques available to health care providers were suggested to (a) increase conversational surveillance, (b) detect language selection/ use associated with different kinds of deceptive communication, and (c) provide interactional strategies to reduce patient deception.