Doctors wrongly think poor people sue more

Contrary to the common perception among physicians, poor people do not sue doctors more frequently, U.S. researchers found. Ramon L. Jimenez of the Monterey Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Institute and his team said socioeconomically disadvantaged patients, in fact, tend to sue physicians less often. Some physicians believe, as a group, low-income patients tend to sue their doctors more often than other patients and this mindset has potential negative effects on the doctor-patient relationship, including some physicians' reluctance to treat poor patients, or treat them differently, Jimenez said. The findings suggested this myth might exist because of subconscious prejudices or stereotypes that affect thinking and decision-making without doctors being aware of it -- a phenomenon known as unconscious bias, Jimenez said. The study authors also highlighted that physicians might have an unconscious desire to avoid treating poor patients out of concerns about financial reimbursement. "Such physicians might consciously or unconsciously presume poor patients are more likely to sue, as an excuse or way of avoiding the presumed difficulty associated with collecting payment from such patients," Jimenez said in a statement. "In this situation, the doctor's unconscious mind can trick him or her into behaving in an undesirable way, or unconscious bias." The findings were published in the journal Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research.