1. Figure 1 1 2 3 4 not at all somewhat mostly extremely Using the above scale, please rate your physician on the following characteristics assuming that you are the patient in this scenario. Would you say that your physician was… Empathic 1 2 3 4 Warm 1 2 3 4 Figure 2 1 2 34 not at all somewhat very extremely Using the above scale, please also answer the following questions How satisfied would you be with this visit? 1234 How likely would this visit lead to better health? 1234 Dr. Stud Dr. Dud Dr. Stud Dr. Dud *not actual photos, *not actual photos, or names, used or names, used The effect of physician attractiveness on perceived patient satisfaction Rebecca L. Rogers, PhD Brandi M. Dorsey, BA Augusta State University Background  Evidence that individuals believe “what is beautiful is good” --intelligent --occupationally successful --socially gifted --better spouse --likeable --approachable  Attractiveness has been linked to better teacher evaluations and students’ perceived learning Statement of the problem  Attractiveness of the doctor has not been examined as a factor in patient satisfaction.  For some doctors, patient satisfaction ratings have an effect on their salary  Could we be simply increasing the pay of attractive doctors? Objective  Examine the effect of physical attractiveness on various patient perceptions  Physician characteristics  e.g., warmth and likeability  Consultation/healthcare variables  e.g., likely adherence to treatment  Satisfaction with care Hypotheses  We expected that  An attractive doctor would be perceived as having a greater degree of positive qualities than an unattractive doctor  An attractive doctor would receive higher satisfaction ratings than an unattractive doctor Method Participants  R ecruited through a small southeastern university  158 undergraduate students  Majority were female (66.5%) and Caucasian (63.3%)  Mean age was 23.08 years (SD=5.15) Instrument  A hypothetical patient-physician scenario, which included a picture of the physician  ½ received a picture of an “attractive” doctor; ½ received a picture of an “unattractive” doctor  14 questions regarding characteristics of the doctor (see Figure 1)  6 questions regarding the consultation (see Figure 2)  4 open-ended questions regarding satisfaction (see Figure 3)  7 demographic questions  1 item rating the attractiveness of the physician Results  T-tests revealed no significant differences among any of the variables of interest.  The attractive doctor was rated significantly more attractive than the unattractive doctor; however, the mean difference was much smaller than that found in the initial pilot studies.  The attractive doctor was rated much less attractive than initial ratings.  Informal content analysis of the qualitative questions revealed that participants were mostly dissatisfied with the patient-physician consultation.  More than 1/3 were “not at all” satisfied with the visit Discussion  Results do not support hypotheses or mirror findings in the attractiveness literature  WHY?  1. The doctor photos were not different enough or of poor quality  Rated significantly different but less so than initial pilot testing  2. The scenario was too negative  Attractive doctor was rated much less so in actual study than in pilot testing. Maybe his (rated low) attractiveness could not compensate for the (perceived) negative encounter.  i.e., results may indicate that negative encounters affect attractiveness.  But -- attractive defendants are less likely to be found guilty  Implications for malpractice issues?  3. The attractive doctor was too attractive  Some evidence suggests that only a certain level of attractiveness is needed for benefit. Above that, attractiveness may actually backfire. Limitations and future research  Photos were gleaned from non-local medical school faculty websites  Valid representations of attractiveness?  Scenario and survey were developed by investigators  Salient and psychometrically sound?  Participants were undergraduate students  Representative sample?  Given the vast amount of empirical evidence pointing to the benefits of attractiveness, we believe this deserves further investigation in the healthcare arena.  Address above limitations  Examine those mostly satisfied with visit  Use a more neutral or positive scenario Figure 3 How satisfied were you with your waiting time? How satisfied were you overall?