image: Regenstrief Institute Research Scientist Richard Frankel, PhD, is a medical sociologist and an internationally respected expert on a wide range of doctor-patient communication topics. These include physician apologies; how to deal with that pesky 3rd party in the exam room -- the doc's laptop; how to ensure that patients understand what the physician is telling them and the doctor understands what the patient is telling him or her; and educating future physicians to be better communicators. view more
Credit: Regenstrief Institute
INDIANAPOLIS -- Regenstrief Institute Research Scientist Richard Frankel, PhD, has won the 2020 John A. Benson Jr., M.D., Professionalism Article Prize from the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Foundation. The award recognizes peer-reviewed journal articles that document the impact of medical professionalism on improving healthcare.
Dr. Frankel was the senior author on the paper "If your feelings were hurt, I'm sorry..." How Third-Year Medical Students Observe, Learn From, and Engage in Apologies," which was published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine in October 2020. Ian C. Fischer, PhD, from the School of Science at IUPUI was first author.
Apologies may play a significant role in medical care, especially in the context of patient safety, medical error disclosure, and malpractice. The paper characterized how medical students witnessed and engaged in apologies during day-to-day care. Researchers concluded that few education programs target apologies in the context of routine practice. With little formal instruction, students may rely on adopting habits displayed by their teachers, and faculty have an important role to play in modeling the apology process.
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About Richard M. Frankel, PhD
In addition to his role as a research scientist at Regenstrief, Richard M. Frankel, PhD, is a core investigator for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Health Services Research and Development Center for Health Information and Communication, Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center. Dr. Frankel is also a professor of medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine.
About Regenstrief Institute
Founded in 1969 in Indianapolis, the Regenstrief Institute is a local, national and global leader dedicated to a world where better information empowers people to end disease and realize true health. A key research partner to Indiana University, Regenstrief and its research scientists are responsible for a growing number of major healthcare innovations and studies. Examples range from the development of global health information technology standards that enable the use and interoperability of electronic health records to improving patient-physician communications, to creating models of care that inform practice and improve the lives of patients around the globe.
Sam Regenstrief, a nationally successful entrepreneur from Connersville, Indiana, founded the institute with the goal of making healthcare more efficient and accessible for everyone. His vision continues to guide the institute's research mission.