Examining Character Assassination in Patient-Clinician Interactions About Chronic Pain

Area of Science:

• Medical Sociology
• Communication Studies
• Pain Management

Background:

• Female chronic pain patients report perceived character attacks from clinicians.
• Character assassination (CA), typically studied in political contexts, is proposed as relevant to patient-clinician interactions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine female chronic pain patients' experiences of character assassination (CA) during healthcare interactions.
• To identify specific CA tactics used by clinicians and their resulting negative outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Utilized character assassination (CA) as a sensitizing concept.
• Examined CA experiences in a diverse sample of 450 female chronic pain patients.

Main Results:

• Clinicians employed tactics such as false attributions, lying, stereotyping, bullying, and emphasizing flaws.
• CA led to patient self-doubt, delayed diagnosis and treatment, intensified health conditions, and strained social relationships.

Conclusions:

• Character assassination (CA) is a relevant phenomenon in patient-clinician communication, particularly for female chronic pain patients.
• Findings have theoretical implications for using CA as a lens and practical implications for improving patient care and outcomes.