Shame and Medicine
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The Shame and Medicine Project
IRAS ID
288519
Contact name
Luna Dolezal
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Exeter
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 11 months, 30 days
Research summary
Shame is a powerful force in the everyday experiences of patients, medical students, doctors and other healthcare professionals. For patients, shame can lead to avoiding treatment, concealing illness and worse experiences of illness. Shame influences how doctors interact with their patients, and their colleagues, and is related to burn out, suicide and mental health problems. Despite repeated suggestions that shame plays a significant role in medicine, our current knowledge is limited. To address this, Shame and Medicine has a team of researchers working in medicine, the medical humanities and the social sciences. They will investigate the philosophy and cultural representation of shame in medicine, while also doing studies looking at shame experiences in current healthcare practices and professional culture, in particular investigating how race, ethnicity, class and gender impact on the experiences of medical shame. Shame and Medicine will provide evidence that will improve the quality of health services.
REC name
London - City & East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/LO/0126
Date of REC Opinion
30 Mar 2021
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion