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Lying to Each Other
When Internal Medicine Residents Use Deception With Their Colleagues
Michael J. Green, MD, MS;
Neil J. Farber, MD;
Peter A. Ubel, MD;
David T. Mauger, PhD;
Brian M. Aboff, MD;
James M. Sosman, MD;
Robert M. Arnold, MD
Arch Intern Med. 2000;160:2317-2323.
Background While lying is morally problematic, physicians have been known to use deception with their patients and with third parties. Little is known, however, about the use of deception between physicians.
Objectives To determine the likelihood that resident physicians say they would deceive other physicians in various circumstances and to examine how variations in circumstances affect the likelihood of using deception.
Methods Two versions of a confidential survey using vignettes were randomly distributed to all internal medicine residents at 4 teaching hospitals in 1998. Survey versions differed by introducing slight variations to each vignette in ways we hypothesized would influence respondents' willingness to deceive. The likelihood that residents say they would use deception in response to each vignette was compared between versions.
Results Three hundred thirty surveys were distributed (response rate, 67%). Of those who responded, 36% indicated they were likely to use deception to avoid exchanging call, 15% would misrepresent a diagnosis in a medical record to protect patient privacy, 14% would fabricate a laboratory value to an attending physician, 6% would substitute their own urine in a drug test to protect a colleague, and 5% would lie about checking a patient's stool for blood to cover up a medical mistake. For some of the scenarios, the likelihood of deceiving was influenced by variations in the vignettes.
Conclusions A substantial percentage of internal medicine residents report they would deceive a colleague in various circumstances, and the likelihood of using deception depends on the context. While lying about clinical issues is not common, it is troubling when it occurs at any time. Medical educators should be aware of circumstances in which residents are likely to deceive, and discuss ways to eliminate incentives to lie.
From the Departments of Humanities (Dr Green) and Health Evaluation Sciences (Dr Mauger), Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, and the Section of General Internal Medicine, The Milton S. Hershey Medical Center (Dr Green), Hershey, Pa; Christiana Care Health System, Wilmington, Del (Drs Farber and Aboff); the Division of General Internal Medicine, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and the Center for Bioethics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia (Dr Ubel); the Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin Medical School, Madison (Dr Sosman); and the Division of General Internal Medicine, Section of Palliative Care and Medical Ethics, and Center for Bioethics and Health Law, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa (Dr Arnold).
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