title: Laboratory tests and compliance of dermatologic outpatients.
abstract: Laboratory tests, including blood tests and urine analysis, are frequently performed in the dermatology outpatient clinic, but doctors often do not consider the cognitive or psychological effect of the examinations. Based on terror management theory, we hypothesized that performing laboratory tests increases the patient's fear of mortality, and therefore has a positive effect on the patient's attitude toward the doctor's recommendations and willingness to accept them. The study employed a single factor between-subjects design, using a questionnaire completed by the patients. One group consisted of patients who had undergone laboratory tests 1 week before the survey, and the other group consisted of patients who had not undergone a laboratory test. Although the differences between two groups were not statistically significant, the patients who had laboratory tests had tendency to show even lower positive attitude toward the doctor's recommendations and less intention to follow the recommendations. In contrast to our hypothesis, performing laboratory tests does not subliminally increase patients' fears or anxieties about their disease or their compliance with doctors' recommendations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Korea, South.
authors.forename: Won Ung
authors.initials: WU
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Korea, South.
authors.forename: Yoo Sang
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Baek
authors.affiliation: Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
authors.forename: Tom Joonhwan
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Korea, South.
authors.forename: Chil Hwan
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Investigative Dermatology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA.
authors.forename: Jaehwan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kim