Attribution Theory and Apology Discourse in the Context of Medical Errors

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Hartsell, H. (2020). Attribution Theory and Apology Discourse in the Context of Medical Errors. Unc Charlotte Electronic Theses And Dissertations.
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Abstract

Communication scholars have investigated medical error and apology discourse over the last 20 years. However, despite the previous research on this topic, little is known about what factors (i.e., controllability, emotional response, and error severity) motivate a patient’s desire for an apology after a medical error has occurred. A series of quantitative analyses were conducted, and attribution theory was employed to uncover a unique perspective on this topic. In general, survey data from 429 participants revealed that controllability and emotional response were related to a patient’s desire for an apology, whereas the severity of the error was not. The results of this study not only advocate for more research on this topic but also have several implications for attribution theory, for researchers and healthcare practitioners.

Details
Author

Hartsell, Haley

Title

Attribution Theory and Apology Discourse in the Context of Medical Errors

Physical Description

1 online resource (45 pages) : PDF

Date

2020

Degree Granting Institution

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Abstract

Communication scholars have investigated medical error and apology discourse over the last 20 years. However, despite the previous research on this topic, little is known about what factors (i.e., controllability, emotional response, and error severity) motivate a patient’s desire for an apology after a medical error has occurred. A series of quantitative analyses were conducted, and attribution theory was employed to uncover a unique perspective on this topic. In general, survey data from 429 participants revealed that controllability and emotional response were related to a patient’s desire for an apology, whereas the severity of the error was not. The results of this study not only advocate for more research on this topic but also have several implications for attribution theory, for researchers and healthcare practitioners.

Genre

masters theses

Subjects--Topics

Communication
Psychology
Health education

Degree

M.A.

Keywords

Apology
Attribution
Health Communication
Medical Error

Subject Area

Communication Studies

Advisor(s)

Quinlan, Margaret

Committee Members

Basinger, Erin
Davis, Christine

Degree Note

Thesis (M.A.)--University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 2020.

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Rights Holder Information

Copyright is held by the author unless otherwise indicated.

Identifier

Hartsell_uncc_0694N_12478

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.13093/etd:1947