Hoflings Field Experiment (nurses) 1966 LT4 Flashcards
What happened prior to the experiment?
A questionnaire with a control group of 33 (21 student, 12 graduate) nurses asking how they’d react in the situation.
To investigate whether nurses would obey doctors by complying with…
…an instruction which would involve breaking hospital regulations and medical ethics.
What country did the experiment take place?
USA
How many nurses were in the experimental group?
22
What was the drug used in the experimenter?
Astroten
What did the label of astroten say?
5mg capsules daily max 10mg
What did the doctor phone the nurse to ask?
To give his patient 20mg urgently. The doctor will be there in 10 minutes to sign the authorisation.
We’re the nurses aloud to take orders over the phone?
No. Doctors also have to be there to sign the authorisation then.
Who were the nurses with?
No one else was around.
How did the nurse get stopped?
The tablets were fake so wouldn’t have caused harm.
There was a secret observer, who saw what the nurses did after the call, the observer would stop after the behaviour had been observed and would stop the nurse if she went to give astroten.
How did the fake doctor know what to say over the phone?
Scripted- they had standardised answers for any questions could be asked.
What happened after the experiment?
A debriefed was in hand- would debrief nurse within half an hour.
Nurses were reassured and asked how they felt.
