Nurses Obedience

• Who conducted the experiment in 1966?

  Hofling et al
• Who conducted the experiment in 1977?

  Rank and Jacobson
• How was the instruction passed to the nurses in Hofling et al?

  • Phoned by unknown doctor
  • Told to administer 20 miligrams of Astroten to patient before he arrived
• How was the instruction passed to the nurses in Rank and Jacobson?

  The doctor on the phone was the name of a real doctor on the staff
• Were the nurses alone when receiving instructions in Hofling et al?

  Yes
• Were the nurses alone when receiving instructions in Rank and Jacobson?


  No
• What drug was told to be given in Hofling et al?

  Astroten (unknown dosage)
• What drug was told to be given in Rank and Jacobson?

  Valium (3x normal dose)
• What were the main findings in Hofling et al?

  21/22 nurses started to give the drug until stopped
• What were the main findings in Rank and Jacobson?

  2/18 obeyed
• What conclusions can you draw from Hofling et al?

  Majority of nurses will blindly obey orders
• What conclusions can you draw from Rank and Jacobson?

  Small minority will obey dangerous orders