title: Pain assessment and treatment decisions for virtual human patients.
abstract: Laypeople and healthcare professionals use demographic cues when making pain management decisions. These decisions can negatively affect patient outcomes. This study examined whether laypeople base their pain management decisions in part on pain-related postures and demographic cues. Virtual human (VH) technology was used to research whether sex and race, as well as body posture, influenced pain management decisions. Ninety-seven laypersons examined VH patients exhibiting low back pain related body postures whose demographic cues varied by VH sex and VH race. T tests validated that participants were able to distinguish between high pain related body postures and low pain related body postures. The participants assessed male VH patients to be experiencing more pain than female VH patients. This study suggests that participants use sex as a cue when assessing pain. Participants may perceive VH male patients as experiencing high pain intensity if the participants are willing to counter male stereotypes and acknowledge that the male VH patients display pain behaviors.
authors: 1 Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida , Gainesville, Florida.
authors: Laura D
authors: LD
authors: Wandner
authors: Steven Z
authors: SZ
authors: George
authors: Benjamin C
authors: BC
authors: Lok
authors: Calia A
authors: CA
authors: Torres
authors: Joon Hao
authors: JH
authors: Chuah
authors: Michael E
authors: ME
authors: Robinson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010146:Pain / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D059408:Pain Management; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000379:methods*; D011187:Posture; D012737:Sex Factors; D013240:Stereotyping; D055815:Young Adult
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