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Gallan AS, Helkkula A, McConnell WR. Why did this happen to me? Causal attributions of illness and cultural health capital. Soc Sci Med 2024; 350:116923. [PMID: 38705076 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.116923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2023] [Revised: 04/19/2024] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 05/07/2024]
Abstract
This study examines how conversations between patients and clinicians about the causes of their health conditions relate to patient engagement in care. Leveraging cultural health capital (CHC) theory, we find that patient-physician discussions of health attributions are one mechanism to build patient understanding and activate engagement. We present a qualitative interpretive analysis of data collected in three phases with adult home health care patients: phone interviews (n = 28), field observations (n = 61), and semi-structured field interviews (n = 38). We find that engaging in discussions of causal health attributions with clinicians enables patients to overcome uncertainty, envision preventive actions, and engage in setting future goals. Such discussions must be supported by acknowledgement of the co-responsibility of individual factors and structural factors such as social determinants of health. These discussions are not easy to navigate but they can potentially help patients transition from a mindset of treating the disease (pathogenic approach) to an awareness of their available capabilities to improve health (salutogenic approach). This study contributes to research on attribution theory and cultural health capital theory by demonstrating how discussing causes for poor health can enable patients resolve doubts and accrue instrumental and symbolic resources that facilitate healing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew S Gallan
- Florida Atlantic University, 777 Glades Road, Fleming Hall 209, Boca Raton, FL, 33431, USA.
| | | | - William R McConnell
- Florida Atlantic University, 777 Glades Road, CU 97 Room 253, Boca Raton, FL, 33431, USA.
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2
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Hoey EM, Pino M. Procedural Detailing: A Patient's Practice for Normalizing Routine Behaviors. HEALTH COMMUNICATION 2024; 39:1285-1297. [PMID: 37198912 DOI: 10.1080/10410236.2023.2211364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
In palliative care in the UK, occupational and/or physiotherapists consult with patients to assess how they are managing their activities for daily living in light of their life-limiting condition(s), and to identify any activities that might benefit from therapeutic intervention. In this paper we use conversation analysis to describe a patient's practice in these consultations, which we call "procedural detailing," whereby they produce a step-by-step description of how they do some everyday activity, such that it is depicted as adequate, stable, and unproblematic. Based on a collection of 15 cases identified in video recordings of consultations in a large English hospice, we demonstrate how patients use this practice to normalize their routine conduct and thereby reject or rule out an actual or anticipated therapeutic recommendation. Our analysis suggests that such descriptions let patients participate in shared decision-making by revealing their preference for routines that preserve their level of independence and dignity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elliott M Hoey
- Department of Language, Literature and Communication, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
| | - Marco Pino
- School of Social Sciences and Humanities, Loughborough University
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3
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Leiter V. Signs and symptoms: Adverse events associated with a sterilization device. Soc Sci Med 2024; 351:116963. [PMID: 38759388 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.116963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2024] [Revised: 04/26/2024] [Accepted: 05/09/2024] [Indexed: 05/19/2024]
Abstract
Sterilization is now the most common contraceptive method used by women of in the U.S., and sterilization devices have played an important role in its increased popularity. This mixed methods study examines a random sample of 2500 U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) adverse event reports made between 2006 and 2017 about Essure, a sterilization device. Quantitative coding was used to examine patient problems; pain and bleeding were reported most frequently. Qualitative coding analyzed impacts of symptoms on patients' everyday lives and patients' healthcare experiences, including intimate relationships, mothering, and paid employment. Findings suggest that some patients struggled when their reported "subjective" symptoms didn't result in "objective" clinical signs of problems, and when physicians dismissed or deflected their concerns in diagnostic encounters. This paper raises important issues regarding the symptoms patients associated with Essure, the diagnosis of device-driven disease and injury, and the FDA's regulation of medical devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valerie Leiter
- Department of Public Health, Simmons University, 300 The Fenway, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
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4
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Skovgaard AL, Jørgensen MJ, Tjørnhøj-Thomsen T, Høybye MT. Tinkering with symptoms, causes and solutions: Tracing the enactments of multiple chronic illnesses in specialised outpatient check-ups. SOCIOLOGY OF HEALTH & ILLNESS 2024; 46:627-643. [PMID: 38078784 DOI: 10.1111/1467-9566.13738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
People living with multiple chronic illnesses and an increasing need for acute care is a global health challenge, which questions the conventional ways of managing illness. A central issue is how medical practices can become more patient-centred and aligned with the everyday life of patients. Communicative strategies for eliciting the patient's goals and preferences are often proposed. In this article, we draw on ethnographic data from fieldwork conducted during 2019-2020 in health-care settings and among people living with multiple chronic illness(es) and repeated acute admissions in Denmark. Inspired by science and technology studies of chronic illness and care, we trace the enactments of illness and illness work in a patient trajectory marked by persistent symptoms and medical complexity. We analyse three medical encounters, and we show how 'tinkering' with clinical signs and utterances in each encounter constantly enacts new versions, shaping how the patient could and should live with his illness. We argue that specialised outpatient check-ups for these patients must provide space for continuous tinkering with the concrete effects of illness in everyday life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Louise Skovgaard
- Interacting Minds Centre, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Department of Research, Horsens Regional Hospital, Horsens, Denmark
| | | | - Tine Tjørnhøj-Thomsen
- National Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Copenhagen K, Denmark
| | - Mette Terp Høybye
- Interacting Minds Centre, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Elective Surgery Centre, Silkeborg Regional Hospital, Silkeborg, Denmark
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5
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Hou S, Wang X, Zhao Z, Ma Y, Liu J, Zhang Z, Ma J. A Scale for Measuring Electronic Patient Engagement Behaviors: Development and Validation. Patient Prefer Adherence 2024; 18:917-929. [PMID: 38685912 PMCID: PMC11057637 DOI: 10.2147/ppa.s444633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Purpose Advancements in electronic health (eHealth) technology have profoundly impacted patient engagement. This study aimed to develop and validate the Electronic Patient Engagement Behavior (EPEB) scale to measure the conceptual and underlying framework of patient engagement behaviors in an eHealth context. Patients and Methods Initial measurement items were generated based on a literature review and qualitative research. Two rounds of surveys, a pilot survey and validation survey, were conducted to evaluate the psychometric properties of the scale. Results The EPEB scale consists of 15 items in four dimensions: disease information search, physician-patient interaction, social interaction between patients, and disease self-monitoring. In the pilot survey, the exploratory factor analysis revealed a four-factor model, explaining 69.411% of variance. In the validation survey, the Cronbach's α coefficient of each sub-scale was 0.865, 0.904, 0.904, and 0.900 respectively. The Spearman-Brown split coefficient of the scale was 0.963. The results of the cross-sex measurement equivalence test indicate that all fit indices met the measurement criteria. The confirmatory factor analysis indicated second-order 4-factor model fit the data well. The EPEB has a good reliability and validity. Conclusion The EPEB scale provides a reliable tool for measuring patient engagement behaviors in the eHealth context. The utilization of this scale may yield valuable insights into strategies for enhancing patient engagement and optimizing health outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shengchao Hou
- School of Medicine and Health Management, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China
- Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xiubo Wang
- School of Medicine and Health Management, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Zizhao Zhao
- School of Medicine and Health Management, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yongqiang Ma
- School of Medicine and Health Management, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jing Liu
- Administrative Office, Yuebei People’s Hospital, Shaoguan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Ziyun Zhang
- Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jingdong Ma
- School of Medicine and Health Management, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China
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Sommer I, Assa S, Bachmann C, Chen 陈未 W, Elcin M, Funk E, Kamisli C, Liu 刘涛 T, Maass AH, Merse S, Morbach C, Neumann A, Neumann T, Quasinowski B, Störk S, Weingartz S, Wietasch G, Weiss Weiß A. Medical Care as Flea Market Bargaining? An International Interdisciplinary Study of Varieties of Shared Decision Making in Physician-Patient Interactions. TEACHING AND LEARNING IN MEDICINE 2024:1-13. [PMID: 38577850 DOI: 10.1080/10401334.2024.2322456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024]
Abstract
Phenomenon: Shared decision making (SDM) is a core ideal in the interaction between healthcare providers and patients, but the implementation of the SDM ideal in clinical routines has been a relatively slow process. Approach: In a sociological study, 71 interactions between physicians and simulated patients enacting chronic heart failure were video-recorded in China, Germany, the Netherlands, and Turkey as part of a quasi-experimental research design. Participating physicians varied in specialty and level of experience. The secondary analysis presented in this article used content analysis to study core components of SDM in all of the 71 interactions and a grounded theory approach to observe how physicians responded actively to patients even though they did not actively employ the SDM ideal. Findings: Full realization of the SDM ideal remains an exception, but various aspects of SDM in physician-patient interaction were observed in all four locations. Analyses of longer interactions show dynamic processes of interaction that sometimes surprised both patient and physician. We observed varieties of SDM that differ from the SDM ideal but arguably achieve what the SDM ideal is intended to achieve. Our analysis suggests a need to revisit the SDM ideal-to consider whether varieties of SDM may be acceptable, even valuable, in their own right. Insights: The gap between the SDM ideal and SDM as implemented in clinical practice may in part be explained by the tendency of medicine to define and teach SDM through a narrow lens of checklist evaluations. The authors support the argument that SDM defies a checklist approach. SDM is not uniform, but nuanced, dependent on circumstances and setting. As SDM is co-produced by patients and physicians in a dynamic process of interaction, medical researchers should consider and medical learners should be exposed to varieties of SDM-related practice rather than a single idealized model. Observing and discussing worked examples contributes to the physician's development of realistic expectations and personal professional growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilka Sommer
- Institute of Sociology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Duisburg, Germany
| | - Solmaz Assa
- Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Cadja Bachmann
- Office of the Dean of Educational Affairs, Rostock University Medical Center, Rostock, Germany
| | - Wei Chen 陈未
- Department of Cardiology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, PR China
| | - Melih Elcin
- Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Elisabeth Funk
- Institute of Sociology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Duisburg, Germany
| | - Caner Kamisli
- Institute of German Studies, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Tao Liu 刘涛
- School of Public Affairs, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, PR China
| | - Alexander H Maass
- Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Stefanie Merse
- Empathische Interkulturelle Medizinische Kommunikation, University of Duisburg-Essen, Duisburg, Germany
| | - Caroline Morbach
- Department of Clinical Research & Epidemiology, Comprehensive Heart Failure Center, and Department Medicine I, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Anja Neumann
- Institute of Healthcare Management and Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Duisburg, Germany
| | - Till Neumann
- Outpatient Department of Cardiology Cardio-Praxis, Bochum, Germany
| | | | - Stefan Störk
- Department of Clinical Research & Epidemiology, Comprehensive Heart Failure Center, and Department Medicine I, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Sarah Weingartz
- Institute of Sociology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Duisburg, Germany
| | - Götz Wietasch
- Department of Anesthesiology, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Anja Weiss Weiß
- Institute of Sociology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Duisburg, Germany
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7
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Maris MT, Koçar A, Willems DL, Pols J, Tan HL, Lindinger GL, Bak MAR. Ethical use of artificial intelligence to prevent sudden cardiac death: an interview study of patient perspectives. BMC Med Ethics 2024; 25:42. [PMID: 38575931 PMCID: PMC10996273 DOI: 10.1186/s12910-024-01042-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) in medicine has prompted the development of numerous ethical guidelines, while the involvement of patients in the creation of these documents lags behind. As part of the European PROFID project we explore patient perspectives on the ethical implications of AI in care for patients at increased risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD). AIM Explore perspectives of patients on the ethical use of AI, particularly in clinical decision-making regarding the implantation of an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD). METHODS Semi-structured, future scenario-based interviews were conducted among patients who had either an ICD and/or a heart condition with increased risk of SCD in Germany (n = 9) and the Netherlands (n = 15). We used the principles of the European Commission's Ethics Guidelines for Trustworthy AI to structure the interviews. RESULTS Six themes arose from the interviews: the ability of AI to rectify human doctors' limitations; the objectivity of data; whether AI can serve as second opinion; AI explainability and patient trust; the importance of the 'human touch'; and the personalization of care. Overall, our results reveal a strong desire among patients for more personalized and patient-centered care in the context of ICD implantation. Participants in our study express significant concerns about the further loss of the 'human touch' in healthcare when AI is introduced in clinical settings. They believe that this aspect of care is currently inadequately recognized in clinical practice. Participants attribute to doctors the responsibility of evaluating AI recommendations for clinical relevance and aligning them with patients' individual contexts and values, in consultation with the patient. CONCLUSION The 'human touch' patients exclusively ascribe to human medical practitioners extends beyond sympathy and kindness, and has clinical relevance in medical decision-making. Because this cannot be replaced by AI, we suggest that normative research into the 'right to a human doctor' is needed. Furthermore, policies on patient-centered AI integration in clinical practice should encompass the ethics of everyday practice rather than only principle-based ethics. We suggest that an empirical ethics approach grounded in ethnographic research is exceptionally well-suited to pave the way forward.
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Affiliation(s)
- Menno T Maris
- Department of Ethics, Law and Humanities, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Ayca Koçar
- Institute for Healthcare Management and Health Sciences, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Dick L Willems
- Department of Ethics, Law and Humanities, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Jeannette Pols
- Department of Ethics, Law and Humanities, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Anthropology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Hanno L Tan
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Cardiology, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Netherlands Heart Institute, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Georg L Lindinger
- Institute for Healthcare Management and Health Sciences, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Marieke A R Bak
- Department of Ethics, Law and Humanities, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Institute of History and Ethics in Medicine, TUM School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
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Nilou FE, Christoffersen NB, Lian OS, Guassora AD, Broholm-Jørgensen M. Conceptualizing negotiation in the clinical encounter - A scoping review using principles from critical interpretive synthesis. PATIENT EDUCATION AND COUNSELING 2024; 121:108134. [PMID: 38199175 DOI: 10.1016/j.pec.2024.108134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/01/2024] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Negotiation as an analytical concept in research about clinical encounters is vague. We aim to provide a conceptual synthesis of key characteristics of the process of negotiation in clinical encounters based on a scoping review. METHODS We conducted a scoping review of relevant literature in Embase, Psych Info, Global Health and SCOPUS. We included 25 studies from 1737 citations reviewed. RESULTS We found that the process of negotiation is socially situated depending on the individual patient and professional, a dynamic element of the interaction that may occur both tacitly and explicitly at all stages of the encounter and is not necessarily tied to a specific health problem. Hence, negotiation is complex and influenced by both social, biomedical, and temporal contexts. CONCLUSIONS We found that negotiation between patient and health professional occurs at all stages of the clinical encounter. Negotiation is influenced by social, temporal, and biomedical contexts that encompass the social meeting between patient and health professional. We suggest that health professionals strive to be attentive to patients' tacit negotiation practices. This will strengthen the recognition of the patients' actual wishes for their course of treatment which can thus guide the health professionals' recommendations and treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Freja Ekstrøm Nilou
- National Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Olaug S Lian
- Department of Community Medicine, UiT-The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Ann Dorrit Guassora
- Section and Research Unit of General Practice, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
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Lyu Y, Xu Q, Liu J. Exploring the medical decision-making patterns and influencing factors among the general Chinese public: a binary logistic regression analysis. BMC Public Health 2024; 24:887. [PMID: 38523310 PMCID: PMC10962172 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-024-18338-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE With the ongoing evolution of the healthcare system and shifts in cultural paradigms, there is a pressing need to delve into the medical decision-making behaviors of general Chinese public and understand their underlying motivations. This research seeks to elucidate the prevailing tendencies in these decision-making processes and to empirically validate the pivotal factors that shape their choices, offering valuable insights for healthcare policymakers and institutions. METHOD A comprehensive survey was administered to 2,696 Chinese residents to examine their medical decision-making patterns. These patterns were classified into two primary categories: Unilateral Decision-making (Doctor-dominant, Family-centric, and Patient-driven subtypes) and Collaborative Decision-making (Doctor-led, Doctor-Patient, Patient-Family, and Doctor-Patient-Family subtypes). Binary logistic regression analysis was employed to empirically pinpoint the significant factors influencing these decision-making frameworks. RESULTS The study's analysis reveals distinct preferences in medical decision-making among Chinese residents. In the Collaborative Decision-making category, chosen by 70.81% of participants, the subtypes are as follows: Doctor-led (29.90%), Doctor-Patient (13.54%), Patient-Family (2.93%), and Doctor-Patient-Family (24.44%). The Unilateral Decision-making, preferred by 29.19%, includes Doctor-dominant (23.22%), Family-centric (1.74%), and Patient-driven (4.23%) models. The preference for Collaborative Decision-making is associated with higher educational levels, specific marital statuses (particularly married but childless), and choices of rural residents' basic medical insurance or occupational basic medical insurance. In contrast, Unilateral Decision-making correlates with males, individuals with religious beliefs, certain occupational roles (like civil servants), and holders of commercial or publicly funded medical insurance. CONCLUSION This study elucidates the complex interplay of socio-cultural and individual determinants shaping medical decision-making in China. The findings reveal a marked inclination towards collaborative models, closely linked to educational level, marital status, and specific insurance types, reflecting an evolving trend towards participatory healthcare. Simultaneously, the persistence of unilateral models, influenced by gender, religious beliefs, and occupational roles, highlights the heterogeneity within Chinese healthcare preferences. These insights are crucial for policymakers and healthcare practitioners, underscoring the need for adaptable, culturally attuned healthcare frameworks that cater to this diversity, thereby enhancing patient engagement and healthcare efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuwen Lyu
- Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 511436, China
| | - Qian Xu
- School of Health Management, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 511436, China
| | - Junrong Liu
- Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 511436, China.
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10
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McArthur A. When patients demur: Resisting diagnostic closure in US primary care. Soc Sci Med 2024; 344:116619. [PMID: 38308961 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.116619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 02/05/2024]
Abstract
Patients are more engaged in their healthcare than ever before, including in the process of diagnostic sensemaking. But in acute primary care encounters, the interactional flow of the visit is shaped by an orientation toward the physician as the authority over diagnostic reasoning. Once physicians close diagnostic inquiry and transition into counseling, their assessment - and the extent to which it converges with the patient's perspective - comes into full view. Yet this is precisely when patients have reduced occasions to speak up if they do have concerns, as the "train has left the station" both diagnostically and interactionally. Using conversation analysis and a dataset of 75 video recordings of acute primary care encounters in the US, this article examines how patients speak up in this constrained environment. The concept of diagnosis demurral is proposed to describe how patients resist diagnostic closure by renewing the relevance of diagnostic inquiry, either in response to a diagnosis or at any point following the transition into counseling. Findings suggest that patients demur more frequently than prior studies on diagnosis resistance may have predicted, but they do so in ways that maintain deference to the physician's authority over matters of diagnosis: speaking up primarily outside the diagnostic moment, relying on actions in their own domain of expertise (e.g., their illness experience), and working to additionally soften the epistemic and interactional inappositeness of their demurral. This behavior sits at the nexus of two opposing forces: patients may be more engaged, but their participation is constrained by a continued legacy of medical authority over diagnosis, to which patients themselves continue to respond and reproduce.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda McArthur
- UCLA Department of Sociology, 375 Portola Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.
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11
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Blus-Kadosh I, Hartal G. "We have knowledge that is unique": Patient activism and the promotion of trans-inclusive primary care. Soc Sci Med 2024; 344:116654. [PMID: 38335715 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.116654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Revised: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 02/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
Despite growing visibility of the trans population in Israel, there has been limited research on trans healthcare in a local context, particularly in the field of primary care medicine. Primary care encompasses services provided in locally distributed clinics and has a crucial role in providing both preventive and specialized healthcare. The aim of this study is to outline barriers to trans-inclusive primary care and measures employed by the trans community to overcome them. Biopower and counter-conduct are used as analytical frameworks to examine the trans-exclusionary features of the Israeli healthcare system and steps taken to resist it. To examine these issues, 19 medical care professionals and 20 trans people and activists were interviewed, and a variety of relevant texts were analyzed. Our results indicate trans-exclusionary features in primary healthcare, such as ambiguity regarding trans-inclusive services offered, sex-specific treatments, and lack of medical training programs dedicated to the trans population. To overcome these difficulties, the Israeli trans community has accumulated communal experiential knowledge and transferred it to physicians and policymakers in a localized and informal manner. We argue that by using informal practices, the trans community can provide support and information to its own members as well as operate alongside power systems, albeit in a slow and lengthy manner. More generally, the findings of this study highlight howf patient activism is employed by marginalized populations, who face not only health disparities, but institutional discrimination as well.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inna Blus-Kadosh
- Gender Studies Program, Katz Building (604), Max and Anna Web st., Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, 5290002, Israel.
| | - Gilly Hartal
- Gender Studies Program, Katz Building (604), Max and Anna Web st., Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, 5290002, Israel
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Jeske M, James J, Joyce K. Diagnosis and the practices of patienthood: How diagnostic journeys shape illness experiences. SOCIOLOGY OF HEALTH & ILLNESS 2024; 46:225-241. [PMID: 36707922 DOI: 10.1111/1467-9566.13614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 01/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Sociologists have a rich history of studying the process of diagnosis and how people experience illness. Yet, the sociology of diagnosis and illness experience literatures have seldom been fully integrated. Instead, these literatures highlight one element of the illness journey, wherein scholars either primarily study diagnostic processes and categories or people's illness experiences. Drawing on empirical studies that examine diagnosis and experiences of illness in varied settings (diagnosis during breast cancer surveillance, diagnosis and experience of autoimmune illness and incarcerated women's experiences of diagnoses and illness), in this article we build on our concept of regimes of patienthood to explain how diagnostic journeys, and the relations and power dynamics that manifest during this time, shape the illness experience and practices of patienthood. We construct a classification of diagnostic processes grounded in our empirical research that span (1) sudden diagnoses, (2) long, changing diagnostic journeys and (3) diagnostic journeys marked by disbelief and denial of care. Our findings demonstrate how diagnostic journeys and illness experiences are intertwined, with different diagnostic pathways impacting how illness is experienced. Analysing these categories collectively demonstrates that diagnostic journeys, while heterogenous, shape the practices that patients develop to manage health conditions and navigate unequal health-care encounters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melanie Jeske
- Institute on the Formation of Knowledge, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Jennifer James
- Institute on Health and Aging, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Kelly Joyce
- Department of Sociology, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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13
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Woolf B, Vinson AH. Cultural health capital and patient partner recruitment into healthcare improvement work. Soc Sci Med 2024; 341:116500. [PMID: 38134712 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.116500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Revised: 10/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023]
Abstract
A rising emphasis on patient involvement in clinical research and healthcare improvement has led to the steady incorporation of patients and caregivers into this work. However, interactional factors shaping recruitment processes are not well understood. In this paper, we present a qualitative analysis of interviews with twenty-six patients, family members, engagement staff and healthcare providers who are engaged in healthcare improvement work in the United States. We focus on how stakeholders account for recruitment decisions to participate in healthcare improvement work. We find that expressions of and judgments about patients' and caregivers' cultural health capital shape providers' decisions to extend invitations to participate in healthcare improvement work. These findings extend current conceptualizations of cultural health capital beyond the clinical encounter to reveal factors shaping patient recruitment into healthcare improvement work. In theorizing how cultural health capital shapes action in this new setting, we found that healthcare providers, engagement staff, and patients/caregivers attended to different aspects of cultural health capital when accounting for why they extended or received a recruitment pitch. We further found that participating in healthcare improvement work led to a boost in cultural health capital for patients and caregivers, which they could use to develop transmissible forms of cultural health capital for less centrally involved patients and caregivers. Finally, we describe how participants in healthcare improvement collaboratives account for a lack of diversity among partners. These findings help us hypothesize the consequences of recruitment processes that rely on displays and judgments of cultural health capital and identify possibilities for change. Using the case of healthcare improvement work in Collaborative Learning Health Systems, our findings advance past work on cultural health capital in medical sociology by theorizing the role of cultural health capital in recruitment processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Becky Woolf
- Department of Learning Health Sciences, University of Michigan, USA.
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Kelly KM, Rai P, Studts JL, Dickinson S, Henschel B, Dignan M, Chambers M, Hazard-Jenkins H. Communication with physicians and family about breast Cancer recurrence. PEC INNOVATION 2023; 3:100237. [PMID: 38148854 PMCID: PMC10750108 DOI: 10.1016/j.pecinn.2023.100237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Revised: 11/09/2023] [Accepted: 11/25/2023] [Indexed: 12/28/2023]
Abstract
Objective Adequate physician-patient communication about cancer recurrence is vital to quality of life and to informed decision-making related to survivorship care. The current study was guided by a cognitive-affective framework to examine communication with family and physicians about breast cancer recurrence risk. Methods A survey of recently-diagnosed, early-stage breast cancer patients in Appalachia investigated physician-patient and familial communication about breast cancer recurrence risk. Results Over 30% of participants reported not talking to family or physicians about breast cancer recurrence risk. Younger patients reported more conversations, and speaking with physicians was associated with greater perception risk factors associated with recurrence risk. Greater worry about recurrence was associated with more communication with family and plans to talk to family, physicians, and friends about recurrence risk in the future. Conclusion Additional supports for patients and physicians are needed to improve understanding of breast cancer recurrence risk and risk factors for recurrence. Innovation Family communication about breast cancer recurrence risk is understudied. The combination of physician and family communication adds novelty to our analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimberly M. Kelly
- Center for Innovation in Health Equity Research, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, 66 N. Pauline St, Memphis, TN, USA
- West Virginia University School of Pharmacy, HSC PO Box 9510, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA
| | - Pragya Rai
- Center for Innovation in Health Equity Research, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, 66 N. Pauline St, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Jamie L. Studts
- University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | | | | | - Mark Dignan
- University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40505, USA
| | | | - Hannah Hazard-Jenkins
- West Virginia University School of Pharmacy, HSC PO Box 9510, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA
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15
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Cox K. Invoking Uncertainty: Parents' Accounts for Intrusions on Medical Authority in Pediatric Neurology. JOURNAL OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL BEHAVIOR 2023; 64:537-554. [PMID: 37864431 PMCID: PMC10683329 DOI: 10.1177/00221465231194052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2023]
Abstract
In pediatric medical visits, parents may assume the role of co-caregiver with clinicians. At times, parents challenge physicians' authority to determine diagnoses and treatments for their children. The present study uses conversation analysis to examine parents' accounts for their intrusions on medical authority in a corpus of 35 video-recorded pediatric neurology visits for overnight video-electroencephalogram monitoring. I show how parents can exploit their legitimate role as carers to challenge medical authority. Through invoking uncertainty in contexts where they have somehow challenged medical authority, parents can account for their conduct in ways that elide direct conflict with physicians and thereby minimize damage to the physician-family partnership.
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16
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Hutchens J, Frawley J, Sullivan EA. Is self-advocacy universally achievable for patients? The experiences of Australian women with cardiac disease in pregnancy and postpartum. Int J Qual Stud Health Well-being 2023; 18:2182953. [PMID: 36821349 PMCID: PMC9970247 DOI: 10.1080/17482631.2023.2182953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/24/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Patient self-advocacy is valued and promoted; however, it may not be readily accessible to all. This analysis examines the experiences of women in Australia who had cardiac disease in pregnancy or the first year postpartum through the lenses of self-advocacy and gender, specifically seeking to elaborate on the contexts, impacts, barriers, and women's responses to the barriers to self-advocacy. METHOD A qualitative study design was used. Twenty-five women participated in semi-structured in-depth interviews. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. RESULTS Analysis of findings generated the following themes: 1) Silent dream scream, 2) Easier said than done, 3) Crazy-making, and 4) Concentric circles of advocacy. Regardless of women's personal attributes, knowledge and experience, self-advocating for their health was complex and difficult and had negative cardiac and psychological outcomes. CONCLUSION While the women encountered significant barriers to self-advocating, they were resilient and ultimately developed strategies to be heard and to advocate on their own behalf and that of other women. Findings can be used to identify ways to support women to self-advocate and to provide adequately resourced and culturally safe environments to enable healthcare professionals to provide person-centred care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jane Hutchens
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, Australia,CONTACT Jane Hutchens School of Public Health, Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, Australia
| | - Jane Frawley
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, Australia
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Dimond R, Stephens N, Herbrand C. Making patients political: Narrating, curating, enacting, and navigating the 'idealised policy patient'. Soc Sci Med 2023; 338:116333. [PMID: 37871394 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.116333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Revised: 10/08/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/25/2023]
Abstract
In this article we develop the concept of the 'idealised policy patient' to contribute to a better understanding of patient-family activism and the mechanisms through which powerful and persuasive patient narratives are facilitated and mobilised. The context through which we explore the idealised policy patient is the UK debates about the legalisation of mitochondrial donation, which primarily took place between 2011 and 2015. In our example, the idealised policy patient was constructed around a culturally persuasive narrative of patient suffering, where mitochondrial donation was presented as a desirable and ethical solution. We draw on interviews with patient-families and stakeholders, and documentary analysis to identify four dimensions of the idealised policy patient - narrating, curating, enacting and navigating. Narrating describes how the idealised policy patient appears in public and policy spaces, as a culturally available narrative which conveys certain meanings and is designed to invoke an emotional and practical response. Curating identifies the multiple forms of labour and facilitation involved in supporting patient-families in activist activities which strengthen the dominant narrative and its embodiment. Enacting focuses on the work of patient-families themselves in supporting and contributing to the idealised policy patient in a way that enlivens and embodies the specifically curated narrative. Finally, navigating considers how those offering an opposing viewpoint position themselves in relation to the idealised policy patient. To conclude, we argue that medical sociology has often given insufficient scrutiny to how the capacity of patients to leverage their status for political ends is bolstered through alignment with existing powerful groups, particularly in hegemonic campaigns. We encourage future researchers to examine how the idealised policy patient is reproduced and reorientated within different policy contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Dimond
- Cardiff School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University, Glamorgan Building, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3WT, UK.
| | - Neil Stephens
- School of Social Policy, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK.
| | - Cathy Herbrand
- Centre for Reproduction Research, De Montfort University, The Gateway, Leicester, LE1 9BH, UK.
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18
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Koopman WJ, LaDonna KA, Kinsella EA, Venance SL, Watling CJ. Archetypes of incomplete stories in chronic illness medical encounters. PATIENT EDUCATION AND COUNSELING 2023; 117:107973. [PMID: 37734249 DOI: 10.1016/j.pec.2023.107973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2023] [Revised: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE During encounters, patients and practitioners engage in conversations to address health concerns. Because these interactions are time-pressured events, it may be inevitable that any story exchanged during these encounters will be incomplete in some way, potentially jeopardizing how quality and safety of care is delivered. In this study, we explored how and why incomplete stories might arise in health interactions. METHODS Constructivist grounded theory methodology was used to explore how patients and practitioners approach their interactions during encounters. In this two-phase study, we interviewed patients (n = 21) then practitioners (n = 12). RESULTS We identified three distinct archetypes of incomplete storytelling - the hidden story, the interpreted story, and the tailored story. Measured information sharing, triadic encounters and pre-planned agendas influenced these storylines, respectively. CONCLUSION Both patient and practitioner participants focused on what each considered important, appropriate, and useful for productive encounters. While incomplete stories may be a reality, educating practitioners about how incomplete stories come about from both sides of the conversation creates new opportunities to optimize interactions at medical encounters for in-depth patient practitioner storytelling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wilma J Koopman
- Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada; London Health Sciences Centre, London, Ontario N6A 3K7, Canada; Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario N6A 3K7, Canada; Centre for Education Research & Innovation, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario N6A 3K7, Canada.
| | - K A LaDonna
- Department of Innovation in Medical Education and Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario K1G 5Z3, Canada
| | - E A Kinsella
- Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada; Institute of Health Sciences Education, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1A3, Canada
| | - S L Venance
- Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario N6A 3K7, Canada
| | - C J Watling
- Centre for Education Research & Innovation, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario N6A 3K7, Canada
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19
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Jenkins TM. Physicians as shock absorbers: The system of structural factors driving burnout and dissatisfaction in medicine. Soc Sci Med 2023; 337:116311. [PMID: 37857243 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.116311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2023] [Revised: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
American physicians disproportionately suffer from burnout. Despite calls for systemic solutions, however, few studies have actually examined how 'the system' works-i.e. how structural factors intersect in real-time as a system to shape wellbeing. I borrow a systems theoretical approach, which explicitly recognizes the dynamic relationships and interdependencies between different actors and factors in healthcare, to examine how structural factors work together to shape physicians' wellbeing. Drawing on an eight-month ethnography in a pediatrics clinic, I show how respondents experienced pressures from multiple structural levels: societal (including broader social inequality and changing doctor-patient relationships); organizational (centralized decision-making, economic pressures, and unresponsive leadership); and professional (specialty cultures and unhealthy norms). I find that individual physicians effectively served as shock absorbers, routinely absorbing countless, interconnected structural demands ("shocks") and converting them into competent medical care, at significant cost to their mental health. In so doing, I intervene in sociological debates about the broader fate of the medical profession and conclude that if medicine remains resilient against threats to its dominance, it may well be at the expense of individual physicians' mental wellbeing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tania M Jenkins
- Department of Sociology, The University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, 155 Pauli Murray Hall CB #3210 UNC-CH, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3210, USA.
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20
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Tate A, Spencer KL. High-Stakes Treatment Negotiations Gone Awry: The Importance of Interactions for Understanding Treatment Advocacy and Patient Resistance. JOURNAL OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL BEHAVIOR 2023:221465231204354. [PMID: 37905523 PMCID: PMC11058117 DOI: 10.1177/00221465231204354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2023]
Abstract
Doctors (and sociologists) have a long history of struggling to understand why patients seek medical help yet resist treatment recommendations. Explanations for resistance have pointed to macrostructural changes, such as the rise of the engaged patient or decline of physician authority. Rather than assuming that concepts such as resistance, authority, or engagement are exogenous phenomena transmitted via conversational conduits, we examine how they are dynamically co-constituted interactionally. Using conversation analysis to analyze a videotaped interaction of an oncology patient resisting the treatment recommendation even though she might die without treatment, we show how sustained resistance manifests in and through her doctor's actions. This paradox, in which the doctor can both recommend life-prolonging care and condition resistance to it, has broad relevance beyond cancer treatment; it also can help us to understand other doctor-patient decisional conflicts, for instance, medication nonadherence, delaying emergent care, and vaccine refusal.
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21
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Rubin MA, Riecke J, Heitman E. Futility and Shared Decision-Making. Neurol Clin 2023; 41:455-467. [PMID: 37407099 DOI: 10.1016/j.ncl.2023.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/07/2023]
Abstract
Medical futility is an ancient and yet consistent challenge in clinical medicine. The means of balancing conflicting priorities and stakeholders' preferences has changed as much as the science that powers the understanding and treatment of disease. The introduction of patient self-determination and choice in medical decision-making shifted the locus of power in the physician-patient relationship but did not obviate the physician's responsibilities to provide benefit and prevent harm. As we have refined the process in time, new paradigms, specialists, and tools have been developed to help navigate the ever-changing landscape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael A Rubin
- Department of Neurology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75390-8855, USA; Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75390-8855, USA.
| | - Jenny Riecke
- Department of Neurology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75390-8855, USA; Department of Palliative Care, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75390-8855, USA
| | - Elizabeth Heitman
- Program in Ethics in Science and Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, NC5.832, Dallas, TX 75390-9070, USA; Department of Applied Clinical Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, NC5.832, Dallas, TX 75390-9070, USA
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22
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Lian OS, Nettleton S, Grange H, Dowrick C. 'My cousin said to me . . .' Patients' use of third-party references to facilitate shared decision-making during naturally occurring primary care consultations. Health (London) 2023:13634593231188489. [PMID: 37519043 DOI: 10.1177/13634593231188489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/01/2023]
Abstract
In this paper, we explore the ways in which patients invoke third parties to gain decision-making influence in clinical consultations. The patients' role in decision-making processes is often overlooked, and this interactional practice has rarely been systematically studied. Through a contextual narrative exploration of 42 naturally occurring consultations between patients (aged 22-84) and general practitioners (GPs) in England, we seek to fill this gap. By exploring how and why patients invoke third parties during discussions about medical treatments, who they refer to, what kind of knowledge their referents possess, and how GPs respond, our main aim is to capture the functions and implications of this interactional practice in relation to decision-making processes. Patients refer to third parties during decision-making processes in most of the consultations, usually to argue for and against certain treatment options, and the GPs recognise these utterances as pro-and-contra arguments. This enables patients to counter the GPs' professional knowledge through various knowledge-sources and encourage the GPs to target their specific concerns. By attributing arguments to third parties, patients claim decision-making influence without threatening the GPs' authority and expertise, which their disadvantaged epistemic position demands. Thereby, patients become able to negotiate their role and their epistemic position, to influence the agenda-setting, and to take part in the decision-making process, without being directly confrontational. Invoking third parties is a non-confrontational way of proposing and opposing treatment options that might facilitate successful patient participation in decision-making processes, and so limit the risk of patients being wronged in their capacity as knowers.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sarah Nettleton
- UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Norway
- University of York, UK
| | - Huw Grange
- UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Norway
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23
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Marino F, Alby F, Zucchermaglio C, Fatigante M. Digital technology in medical visits: a critical review of its impact on doctor-patient communication. Front Psychiatry 2023; 14:1226225. [PMID: 37575567 PMCID: PMC10412815 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1226225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023] Open
Abstract
With the rapid advances of digital technology, computer-mediated medical practices are becoming increasingly dominant in medical visits. However, the question of how to ensure effective, patient-centered communication in this transition remains crucial. In this mini-review, we explore this topic by reviewing quantitative and survey-based studies, as well as discursive-interactional studies that focus on the visit as a communicative event. The review is organized into four sections: the introductory section provides a brief synthesis of the two main models used in medical practice and describes the effects of patient-centered communication practices on patients' health and well-being. The second section presents and discusses qualitative and quantitative studies that assess the effect of technology on medical interaction and its impact on patient-centered communication. The third section focuses on whether and how the digital medical record represents a "potential communication risk" during doctor-patient interactions and explores how certain pen-and-paper literacy practices could help mitigate these challenges. In the concluding section, we outline and analyze three key considerations for utilizing technologies to foster and enhance patient-centered communication during medical visits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Filomena Marino
- Department of Social and Developmental Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
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24
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Ross E, Kerr A, Swallow J, Chekar CK, Cunningham‐Burley S. Unsettling the treatment imperative? Chemotherapy decision-making in the wake of genomic techniques. SOCIOLOGY OF HEALTH & ILLNESS 2023; 45:1063-1081. [PMID: 36965058 PMCID: PMC10946787 DOI: 10.1111/1467-9566.13637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Social scientists have argued that a treatment imperative shapes experiences of biomedicine. This is evident within oncology, where discourses of hope are tempered by persistent fears surrounding cancer. It is within this context that genomic decision-making tools are entering routine care. These may indicate that a treatment is not appropriate for a particular disease profile. We draw on qualitative interviews and observations centred on gene expression profiling to consider the implications of this technique for the treatment imperative in early breast cancer. Influenced by sociological perspectives on medical technologies, we discuss how fallibilities of established tools have forged a space for the introduction of genomic testing into chemotherapy decision-making. We demonstrate how high expectations shaped patients' interpretations of this tool as facilitating the 'right' treatment choice. We then unpick these accounts, highlighting the complex relationship between gene expression profiling and treatment decision-making. We argue that anticipations for genomic testing to provide certainty in treatment choice must account for the sociocultural and organisational contexts in which it is used, including the powerful entwinement of chemotherapy and cancer. Our research has implications for sociological perspectives on treatment decision-making and clinical expectations for genomic medicine to resolve the 'problem' of overtreatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Ross
- Department of Sociological StudiesUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUK
| | - Anne Kerr
- School of Social and Political SciencesUniversity of GlasgowGlasgowUK
| | - Julia Swallow
- Centre for Biomedicine, Self, and SocietyUsher InstituteUniversity of EdinburghEdinburghUK
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25
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Brown E. Switching Clinics: Patient Autonomy over the Course of Their Careers in Consumer Medicine. JOURNAL OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL BEHAVIOR 2023; 64:228-242. [PMID: 36843416 DOI: 10.1177/00221465231154956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Patient autonomy, or the right to make decisions about medical care, is usually examined either within clinical encounters with medical providers or outside of clinics via social movements to transform care. These perspectives, however, may miss how patients exercise autonomy outside of clinical encounters while remaining in conventional care. Through in-depth interviews with 61 people who pursued fertility treatment in New York City, this article argues that one important way that people exert autonomy in consumer medicine is by switching clinics. This study finds that nearly half of participants switched clinics to reorient their patient careers that were not progressing satisfactorily, attempting to reset, redirect, and escalate them. This article emphasizes that patients exercise autonomy not just over treatment decisions but also over the direction and progress of patient careers themselves. This article suggests that patients' disparate opportunities to elect to switch medical practices represents an inequity in consumer medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eliza Brown
- University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
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26
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Berhe YW, Agegnehu T, Endeshaw M, Riskey N, Kassaw G. Quality of anesthetist communication with surgical patients in the perioperative setting: a survey at an academic tertiary referral hospital in Ethiopia. Patient Saf Surg 2023; 17:11. [PMID: 37208731 DOI: 10.1186/s13037-023-00361-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/01/2023] [Indexed: 05/21/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Effective communication is a fundamental step in providing best medical care and recognized as vital component of clinical anesthesia practice. Poor communication adversely affects patients' safety and outcome. The objective of this study was to investigate the quality of anesthetist communication from patients' perspectives at University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital (UoGCSH), Northwest Ethiopia. METHODOLOGY A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 423 surgical patients from April 1, - May 30, 2021. Perioperative patient-anesthetist communication (PPAC) was measured by using 15-items Communication Assessment Tool graded by 5-points Likert scale. Data collection was executed during postoperative time as the patients were optimally recovered from anesthesia. The collected data were cleaned and descriptive analysis was performed. RESULTS A total of 400 (94.6% response rate) patients included and 226 (56.7%) were female. The median (IQR) age was 30 (25 - 40) years. Three-hundreds and sixty-one (90.3%) patients had reported good PPAC and 39 (9.8%) reported poor PPAC. The median (IQR) of PPAC scores was 53.0 (48.0 - 57.0) and range from 27 to 69. Highest mean score was observed for the item "Talked in terms I could understand" (4.3 ± 0.7). Lowest mean scores were observed for the item "Checked to be sure I understood everything" (1.9 ± 0.9). Patients who had underwent emergency surgery, no previous anesthetic exposure, had significant preoperative anxiety, no history of previous hospital admission, and moderate-severe preoperative pain were found to have poor PPAC compared to their counterparts in the proportions of 82.1%, 79.5%, 69.2%, 64.1%, and 59.0% respectively. CONCLUSIONS There was good PPAC in our hospital from patients' perspective. However, there should be improvements in checking the degree of understanding of the delivered information, encouraging to question, disclosing next steps and involving in decision-making. Patients who underwent emergency surgery, had no previous anesthetic exposure, had clinically significant level of preoperative anxiety, had no history of previous hospital admission, and had moderate-severe preoperative pain were found to have poor PPAC.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Temesgen Agegnehu
- Department of Surgery, Debre Markos University, Debre Markos, Ethiopia
| | | | - Nurhusen Riskey
- Department of Anesthesia, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia
| | - Getasew Kassaw
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia
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27
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Tal L, Goodman YC. "For Me, 'Normality' is Not Normal": Rethinking Medical and Cultural Ideals of Midlife ADHD Diagnosis. Cult Med Psychiatry 2023:10.1007/s11013-023-09825-5. [PMID: 37148483 DOI: 10.1007/s11013-023-09825-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/15/2023] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
According to psychiatry, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a chronic condition beginning in early life. Psychiatry advocates for early diagnosis to prevent comorbidities that may emerge in untreated cases. "Late"-diagnosis is associated with various hazards that might harm patients' lives and society. Drawing on fieldwork in Israel, we found that 'midlife-ADHDers,' as our informants refer to themselves, express diverse experiences including some advantages of being diagnosed as adults rather than as children. They share what it means to experience "otherness" without an ADHD diagnosis and articulate how being diagnosed "late" detached them from medical and social expectations and allowed some to nurture a unique ill-subjectivity, develop personal knowledge, and invent therapeutic interventions. The timeframe that psychiatry conceives as harmful has been, for some, a springboard to find their own way. This case allows us to rethink 'experiential time'-the meanings of timing and time when psychiatric discourse and subjective narratives intertwine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lior Tal
- Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel.
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28
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Madden M, Stewart D, Mills T, McCambridge J. Consultation skills development in general practice: findings from a qualitative study of newly recruited and more experienced clinical pharmacists during the COVID-19 pandemic. BMJ Open 2023; 13:e069017. [PMID: 37055206 PMCID: PMC10439346 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-069017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/18/2023] [Indexed: 04/15/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The new structured medication review (SMR) service was introduced into the National Health Service in England during the COVID-19 pandemic, following a major expansion of clinical pharmacists within new formations known as primary care networks (PCNs). The aim of the SMR is to tackle problematic polypharmacy through comprehensive, personalised medication reviews involving shared decision-making. Investigation of clinical pharmacists' perceptions of training needs and skills acquisition issues for person-centred consultation practice will help better understand their readiness for these new roles. DESIGN A longitudinal interview and observational study in general practice. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS A longitudinal study of 10 newly recruited clinical pharmacists interviewed three times, plus a single interview with 10 pharmacists recruited earlier and already established in general practice, across 20 newly forming PCNs in England. Observation of a compulsory 2-day history taking and consultation skills workshop. ANALYSIS A modified framework method supported a constructionist thematic analysis. RESULTS Remote working during the pandemic limited opportunities for patient-facing contact. Pharmacists new to their role in general practice were predominantly concerned with improving clinical knowledge and competence. Most said they already practiced person-centred care, using this terminology to describe transactional medicines-focused practice. Pharmacists rarely received direct feedback on consultation practice to calibrate perceptions of their own competence in person-centred communication, including shared decision-making skills. Training thus provided knowledge delivery with limited opportunities for actual skills acquisition. Pharmacists had difficulty translating abstract consultation principles into specific consultation practices. CONCLUSION SMRs were introduced when the dedicated workforce was largely new and being trained. Addressing problematic polypharmacy requires structural and organisational interventions to enhance the communication skills of clinical pharmacists (and other health professionals), and their use in practice. The development of person-centred consultation skills requires much more substantial support than has so far been provided for clinical pharmacists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary Madden
- Department of Health Sciences, University of York, York, North Yorkshire, UK
| | - Duncan Stewart
- Centre for Primary Health and Social Care, London Metropolitan University, London, UK
| | - Thomas Mills
- Department of Health Sciences, University of York, York, North Yorkshire, UK
- PHIRST, London South Bank University, London, UK
| | - Jim McCambridge
- Department of Health Sciences, University of York, York, North Yorkshire, UK
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Lumpkins CY, Nelson R, Twizele Z, Ramírez M, Kimminau KS, Philp A, Mustafa RA, Godwin AK. Communicating risk and the landscape of cancer prevention - an exploratory study that examines perceptions of cancer-related genetic counseling and testing among African Americans and Latinos in the Midwest. J Community Genet 2023; 14:121-133. [PMID: 36930422 PMCID: PMC10021032 DOI: 10.1007/s12687-022-00629-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 03/18/2023] Open
Abstract
African American (AA) and Latino populations are impacted disproportionately by cancer incidence and mortality compared to the general US population. Contributing to these rates are multiple inheritable cancers that impact both men and women. Some of these diseases may be detected through genetic counseling and germline DNA testing; however, AA and Latinos are unaware and have limited knowledge and thus significantly underutilize these services and technologies. Research to detect influencing factors to testing uptake has also been slow due to multiple factors. The research team followed a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach and worked with a Community Advisory Board composed of cancer survivors and co-survivors to design the exploratory study. Six focus groups were held with a pilot sample of African Americans and Latinos who self-reported to be at-risk for cancer (N = 53). The study was held over a 2-month period where attitudes, perceptions, and beliefs about cancer risk and preference regarding cancer-related genetic counseling and testing risk communication were explored. Themes that emerged included (1) the lack of knowledge about cancer-related genetic counseling and testing; (2) cancer is feared often; (3) cancer-related genetic testing was perceived as something that could help but was also perceived as unnecessary testing that exposed individuals to medical harm; and (4) benefits to test were perceived as favorable for medical personnel but not for the patient. Implications of the study provide a unique lens to explore how lived experiences among AA and Latinos may inform strategic risk communication about cancer-related genetic counseling and testing and help advance cancer health equity. Participants viewed cancer genetic testing as important cancer risk prevention strategies. Identification of perceptions of cancer risk and cancer-related genetic counseling and testing in collaboration with members of the community is needed to bolster communication efforts among these populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Crystal Y Lumpkins
- Department of Communication, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
| | - Rafaela Nelson
- Pediatrics Department, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA
| | - Zawadi Twizele
- University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA
| | - Mariana Ramírez
- Department of Population Health, JUNTOS Center for Advancing Latino Health, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA
| | - Kim S Kimminau
- Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
| | | | - Reem A Mustafa
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Kansas Health System, Kansas City, KS, USA
| | - Andrew K Godwin
- Department of Microbiology, Molecular Genetics and Immunology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA
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Abstract
An exciting development in the sociology of medical education has been its recent return as a distinct scholarly conversation in medical sociology. During the 1980s and 1990s, the sociology of medical education, an historically prominent subfield in sociology, seemed to disappear from the scholarly conversation despite ongoing development in this area. In this narrative review I describe this "missing period" of sociology of medical education, discussing complementary explanations for why it receded and describing what research activity did take place during those decades. In reviewing this work, I argue that articulating theoretical advances made within sociology of medical education research during these decades allows us to link foundational research from the 1950s and 1960s with the renaissance of this subfield in the early 2000s. Fundamentally, understanding the intellectual history and development of this subfield supports a broader movement to understand the import of studies of medical training for exploring questions of interest in general sociology.
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Evered J, Andersen L, Foxwell A, Iroegbu C, Whitney C. Clinician-Patient Relationships in Virtual Care: A Dimensional Analysis of the Symbolic World of Cancer Care. QUALITATIVE HEALTH RESEARCH 2023; 33:284-296. [PMID: 36718991 DOI: 10.1177/10497323231153793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Rapid uptake of telehealth technologies has shifted clinician-patient relationships, a well-studied topic of sociological inquiry. The purpose of this dimensional analysis study was to understand the symbolic interaction of clinicians and patients within virtual supportive cancer care. Seventeen clinicians, eighteen patients, and three care partners receiving or providing care at a multi-site cancer center in the United States participated in interviews. Our analysis of supportive cancer care experiences reveals a key tension: clinicians need to rely on patients in order to share clinical tasks in a virtual care setting but can be reluctant to do so. We posit that dimming the light on cancer is a process that enables clinicians to overcome their reluctance to engage in clinician-patient task sharing by strengthening the relationship. Taken together, these findings reconceptualize the symbolic interaction of the clinician-patient relationship and highlight opportunities to actualize models of relationship-centered virtual care. We discuss implications for clinical practice, ethical relational care, and the literature on clinician-patient relationships and trust.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jane Evered
- 16142University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- 5228University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Lucy Andersen
- 16142University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Anessa Foxwell
- 16142University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Christin Iroegbu
- 16142University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Clare Whitney
- 16142University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- 16038Stony Brook University School of Nursing, Stony Brook, NY, USA
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Park S, Kim HK, Lee M. An analytic hierarchy process analysis for reinforcing doctor-patient communication. BMC PRIMARY CARE 2023; 24:24. [PMID: 36670353 PMCID: PMC9860231 DOI: 10.1186/s12875-023-01972-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND As the health paradigm shifts toward patient-centeredness, patients can actively participate in their own treatment. However, there is still a unilateral aspect of doctor-patient communication, so it is necessary to specify obstacles between doctors and patients. Therefore, this study attempted to extract obstacles that block doctor-patient communication and to analyze differences in perception of doctor-patient communication. METHODS A total of 35 questionnaires composed of brainstorming for the study were distributed, and a total of 21 questionnaires were used for analysis. The collected data was analyzed by AHP using dress ver 17.0. RESULTS As a result of the study, doctors ranked the priority of health communication in the order of professionalism, reliability, fairness, communication, and psychologically. On the other hand, for patients, the priority factors of health communication were communication, fairness, professionalism, reliability, and psychologically. CONCLUSION In order to improve the quality of health communication between doctors and patients, doctors will be able to communicate from the patient's point of view and strengthen communication with patients by providing consistent medical services and patients need to trust the doctor and patients need to trust their doctors and participate in the medical process faithfully.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sewon Park
- grid.251916.80000 0004 0532 3933Department of Medical Humanities and Social Medicine, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, South Korea
| | - Han-Kyoul Kim
- grid.412484.f0000 0001 0302 820XDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, South Korea ,National Traffic Injury Rehabilitation Research Institute, National Traffic Injury Rehabilitation Hospital, Yang- Pyeong, South Korea
| | - Munjae Lee
- grid.251916.80000 0004 0532 3933Department of Medical Humanities and Social Medicine, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, South Korea ,grid.411261.10000 0004 0648 1036Medical Research Collaborating Center, Ajou Research Institute for Innovative Medicine, Ajou University Medical Center, Suwon, South Korea
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Greenberg KL, Poupko T, Sorotzkin D, Keidar O, Zwas DR. Development and usage of a health recommendation web tool (HeaRT) designed to inform women of personalized preventive health recommendations. Internet Interv 2022; 31:100599. [PMID: 36618777 PMCID: PMC9813537 DOI: 10.1016/j.invent.2022.100599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2022] [Revised: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Implementation of guidelines for evidence-based screening and disease prevention remains a core challenge in health care. The lack of access to accurate and personalized health recommendations may contribute to sub-optimal performance of medical screening, and ultimately increased risk for communicable and non-communicable disease. Many women do not monitor their cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk or receive regular medical screenings. A health recommendation tool (HeaRT) that provides women with profiled, individually tailored information about recommended tests and screening was designed to improve women's engagement in preventive health. This study characterized utilization of the tool in a real world setting. OBJECTIVE To describe the development and usage patterns of HeaRT, a novel health web-tool that provides personalized health recommendations for women. METHODS Extracted web-tool data including user input (age, BMI, smoking status and family history of CVD) and time spent in the results screen were analysed. Engagement was assessed by time spent in each results category, number of clicks and whether the user emailed/printed the recommendations. Usage patterns were analysed using multivariate analyses, logistic regression and cluster analyses. RESULTS HeaRT was used 13,749 times in the years between its launch and data extraction three years later. Web-tool analysis found that 68.6 % of users accessed results and approximately 15 % printed or emailed the list of recommendations. Further analysis found that almost all the users entered the nutrition category (78 %), followed by the risk-factor category (69.5 %) and Physical activity category (61.9 %). Three usage patterns were identified by cluster analysis, including a nutrition/physical activity cluster, a risk-factor cluster and an all-categories cluster. Cluster affiliation analysis found BMI and smoking status were not predictors of cluster affiliation, whereas users over the age of 65 were more likely to solely enter the risk-factor tab (P < .001) and users with family history of CVD were more likely to either enter only the risk-factor tab or to enter all tabs (P < .01). CONCLUSIONS HeaRT users looked at health recommendations on a variety of health topics, and 15 % printed or emailed the recommendations. A tailored health recommendation web-tool may empower women to seek preventive-care and health maintenance, and help them interact with health care providers from a position of shared responsibility. This tool and similar programs may enable health care consumers to actively participate in directing their own health maintenance by providing consumers with personalized health recommendations. Additionally, user characteristics may inform future web-tool designers on target population profile and usage patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keren L. Greenberg
- The Linda Joy Pollin Cardiovascular Wellness Center for Women, Hadassah University Medical Center, P.O.B 12000, Jerusalem, Israel,Corresponding author at: The Linda Joy Pollin Cardiovascular Wellness Center for Women, Hadassah University Medical Center, P.O.B 12000, Jerusalem, Israel.
| | - Tamar Poupko
- The Linda Joy Pollin Cardiovascular Wellness Center for Women, Hadassah University Medical Center, P.O.B 12000, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Devorah Sorotzkin
- The Linda Joy Pollin Cardiovascular Wellness Center for Women, Hadassah University Medical Center, P.O.B 12000, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Osnat Keidar
- The Linda Joy Pollin Cardiovascular Wellness Center for Women, Hadassah University Medical Center, P.O.B 12000, Jerusalem, Israel,The Braun School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Hebrew University and Hadassah University Medical Center, P.O.B 12272, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Donna R. Zwas
- The Linda Joy Pollin Cardiovascular Wellness Center for Women, Hadassah University Medical Center, P.O.B 12000, Jerusalem, Israel
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Kim DKD, Kim S. What if you have a humanoid AI robot doctor?: An investigation of public trust in South Korea. JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION IN HEALTHCARE 2022; 15:276-285. [PMID: 36911896 DOI: 10.1080/17538068.2021.1994825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Humanoid robots with artificial intelligence have been implemented in many healthcare facilities including hospitals, nursing homes, and many others. Due to the development of technology and the increasing use of humanoid robots, it is expected that more advanced humanoid robots will be developed and implemented in healthcare facilities for better healthcare services. Based on this anticipation, this study proactively examined the public trust in humanoid AI robot (HAIR) doctors that we might have in the near future. METHODS This study employed two scales that have been predominantly used to measure patient-doctor trust through an extensive search across different scholarships. For data collection, online surveys were administered by posting a weblink to the online survey through social media, mostly Facebook, Twitter, and KakaoTalk, in South Korea. RESULTS Data analysis of 424 valid surveys found that the level of public trust in HAIR doctors as primary doctors was slightly higher than human doctors. For the data analysis using demographic variables, a series of t-test and ANOVA revealed that males showed a higher trust in HAIR doctors than females, while maintaining indifference in other demographic variables. CONCLUSION Based on the rapid development of AI and robot technology, the implementation of HAIR doctors for our healthcare service would be a reality in the near future as the public also becomes more familiar with interacting with humanoid robots. Therefore, a proactive preparation for the future is urgently needed for effective use of future technology as well as patients' satisfaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Do Kyun David Kim
- Professor, Richard D'Aquin/BORSF Endowed Professor, Department of Communication, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, Louisiana, USA
| | - Sejin Kim
- Assistant Professor, University of Utah - Asia Campus, South Korea
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Davis MD, Lohm D, Flowers P, Whittaker A. Antibiotic assemblages and their implications for the prevention of antimicrobial resistance. Soc Sci Med 2022; 315:115550. [PMID: 36410136 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2022] [Revised: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Individual antibiotic use for common infections is a focus for public health efforts seeking to prevent antimicrobial resistance (AMR). These approaches employ a binary opposition of responsible and irresponsible antibiotic use with a focus on the knowledge, behaviours and intentions of the individual. To overcome these unhelpful tendencies and reveal new entry points for AMR prevention, we adopted assemblage theory to analyse personal experience narratives on individual antibiotic use in community settings. Antibiotic use was irregular, situationally diverse and shaped by factors not always under personal control. Individuals were focussed on preventing, moderating and treating infections that threatened their health. Our analysis shows that antibiotic assemblages are both cause and effect of individual efforts to manage infections. We suggest that AMR prevention needs to look beyond the antibiotic as object and the (ir)responsible use binary to engage with the antibiotic effects individuals seek in order to manage infectious diseases. This antibiotic assemblage orientation is likely to be more meaningful for individuals seeking out methods for promoting their health in the face of common infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Dm Davis
- School of Social Sciences, Monash University, Australia.
| | - Davina Lohm
- School of Social Sciences, Monash University, Australia
| | - Paul Flowers
- School of Psychological Sciences and Health, University of Strathclyde, UK
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36
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Bernardi R, Wu PF. Online health communities and the patient-doctor relationship: An institutional logics perspective. Soc Sci Med 2022; 314:115494. [PMID: 36334494 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2022] [Revised: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Taking an institutional logics perspective, this study investigates how "internet-informed" patients manage tensions between the logic of personal choice and the logic of medical professionalism as they navigate treatment decisions and the patient-doctor relationship. Based on 44 semi-structured interviews with members of an online health community for people with diabetes, this study finds that patients exercise a great deal of agency in evaluating healthcare options not only by activating the logic of personal choice but also by appropriating the logic of medical professionalism. Furthermore, patients are strategic in deciding what community advice to share with their doctor or nurse depending on the healthcare professionals' reaction to the logic of personal choice. In contrast to many previous studies that emphasise patient consumerism fuelled by information on the Internet, this study provides a more nuanced picture of patient-doctor relationship engendered by patients' participation in online health communities.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Philip F Wu
- School of Business and Management Royal Holloway, University of London Egham
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Rier DA. Responsibility in Medical Sociology: A Second, Reflexive Look. THE AMERICAN SOCIOLOGIST 2022; 53:663-684. [PMID: 36246580 PMCID: PMC9540162 DOI: 10.1007/s12108-022-09549-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Personal responsibility has emerged as an important element in many countries' public health planning, and has attracted substantial debate in public health discourse. Contemporary medical sociology typically resists such "responsibilization" as victim-blaming, by privileged elites, that obscures important structural factors and inequities. This paper, based primarily on a broad review of how contemporary Anglophone medical sociology literatures treat responsibility and blame, points out advantages of taking responsibility seriously, particularly from the individual's perspective. These advantages include: empowerment; responsibility-as-coping-mechanism; moral dignity; and the pragmatic logic of doing for oneself, rather than passively awaiting societal reforms. We also offer possible reasons why sociologists and their subjects view these issues so differently, and suggest some areas for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A. Rier
- Department of Sociology & Anthropology, Bar-Ilan University, 5290002 Ramat-Gan, Israel
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Bigdeli S, Baradaran HR, Ghanavati S, Soltani Arabshahi SK. A qualitative approach to identify clinical uncertainty in practicing physicians and clinical residents. JOURNAL OF EDUCATION AND HEALTH PROMOTION 2022; 11:278. [PMID: 36325214 PMCID: PMC9621374 DOI: 10.4103/jehp.jehp_14_22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Clinical decision-making is not only stressful to physicians, but also to patients and even their companions. Thus, managing uncertainty in clinical decision-making is essential which requires knowing its origins. Therefore, this study aimed to understand determinants of uncertainty in clinical decision-making from the perspective of clinical physicians. MATERIALS AND METHODS This is a qualitative study which is done during October to November 2020. An in-depth interview is performed with 24 specialists of clinical groups including obstetrics, surgery, internal medicine, and pediatrics, working in teaching hospitals affiliated to Iran University of Medical Sciences. All the interviews were recorded, transcribed and analyzed according to the steps suggested by Graneheim and Lundman. The interviews were analyzed through comparative method. Then, the interviewer created initial codes, categories, and key concepts and sent them to fourteen physicians for member check. RESULTS According to the participants' view, determinants of uncertainty in clinical decision-making consisted of three themes: individual determinants, dynamics of medical sciences, and diagnostic and instrumental constraint. Individual determinants can be related to the physician or patient. The dynamics of medical sciences could be explained in two categories: variation of medical science and complexity. Diagnostic and instrumental constraint category could be also explained in subcategories such as lack of efficient diagnostic tests and unknown etiology. CONCLUSION To curb uncertainty, the more accessible way is considering interventional programs with a focus on individual determinants related to physicians, such as strengthening doctor-patient relationships, and considering related mandatory retraining courses to reduce insufficient knowledge of physicians.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shoaleh Bigdeli
- Center for Educational Research in Medical Sciences, Department of Medical Education, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hamid Reza Baradaran
- Center for Educational Research in Medical Sciences, Department of Medical Education, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Shirin Ghanavati
- Center for Educational Research in Medical Sciences, Department of Medical Education, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Seyed Kamran Soltani Arabshahi
- Center for Educational Research in Medical Sciences, Department of Medical Education, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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Underman K, Kochunilathil M, McLean L, Vinson AH. Online student culture as site for negotiating assessment in medical education. Soc Sci Med 2022; 310:115270. [PMID: 36030626 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2022] [Revised: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Classic studies of medical education have examined how professional socialization reproduces the prevailing professional culture, as well as how students actively negotiate their place in educational processes. However, sociological research has not re-examined student culture in light of structural transformations in medical education, such as the introduction of new assessment types and their use as modes of commensuration. In this paper, we examine data from two studies of online forums where medical trainees and applicants to medical school discuss their experiences preparing for tests of professional skills, including judgment, empathy, and communication. Examining how medical students talk about these tests on such forums allows us to understand the meaning-making processes at work as students negotiate the commensuration processes such tests enable. We examine how these negotiations take place in online forums, where participants confront common challenges, form common perspectives, and share common solutions, all hallmarks of student culture. Through qualitative analysis, we find that online communities are spaces where students grapple with these new forms of commensuration, interrogate the standards and quantifications that underlie them, and collectively negotiate how to approach these assessments. Using the case of online forum communities, our findings advance past work on student culture in medical sociology by theorizing student culture as an extra-organizational phenomenon that spans multiple career stages. In so doing, we highlight the importance of online forum data for studying social processes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Lauren McLean
- Central Michigan University College of Medicine, USA
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Feldman SS, Allgood A, Hall AG, Lemak CH, Berner ES. Competency analysis and educational strategies to meet the demand for a learning health system workforce. Learn Health Syst 2022; 6:e10324. [PMID: 36263268 PMCID: PMC9576244 DOI: 10.1002/lrh2.10324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Revised: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 06/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Learning Health Systems (LHS) require a workforce with specific knowledge and skills to identify and address healthcare quality issues, develop solutions to address those issues, and sustain and spread improvements within and outside the organization. Educational programs are tasked with designing learning opportunities that can meet these organizational needs. This manuscript explores different mechanisms for addressing challenges to creating educational programs to prepare individuals who can work in and lead LHS. Strategies and recommendations for educational programs to support the LHS include the creation of a new program, collaborating across existing programs, and producing a set of instructional materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sue S. Feldman
- Department of Health Services Administration University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham Alabama USA
| | - Ashleigh Allgood
- Department of Health Services Administration University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham Alabama USA
| | - Allyson G. Hall
- Department of Health Services Administration University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham Alabama USA
| | - Christy Harris Lemak
- Department of Health Services Administration University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham Alabama USA
| | - Eta S. Berner
- Department of Health Services Administration University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham Alabama USA
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Shachar L. "You become a slightly better doctor": Doctors adopting integrated medical expertise through interactions with E-patients. Soc Sci Med 2022; 305:115038. [PMID: 35598443 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2021] [Revised: 05/05/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The accessibility of information via the internet has radically altered the doctor-patient relationship. By means of in-depth interviews with Israeli physicians from four different specialties, this study explored how physicians cope with internet-informed patients, referred to as e-patients, and examined how they make sense of their new professional roles. Findings show that three types of boundaries in the doctor-patient relationship have been blurred by the emergence of the e-patient: the boundaries between doctors' and patients' knowledge, between doctors' authority and patients' autonomy, and between positivistic knowledge and humanistic knowledge. Each of these is a boundary between liberal and non-liberal values. Only the combination of all these components produces, according to the participants, a good doctor. I call this new phenomenon integrated medical expertise and explain how it diverges from previous notions of 'good doctoring'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leeor Shachar
- The Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Tel Aviv University, P.O. Box 39040, Tel Aviv, 6997801, Israel.
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Kovacs RJ, Lagarde M, Cairns J. Can patients improve the quality of care they receive? Experimental evidence from Senegal. WORLD DEVELOPMENT 2022; 150:105740. [PMID: 35115735 PMCID: PMC8651629 DOI: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2021.105740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/28/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Providers in many low and middle-income countries (LMICs) often fail to correctly diagnose and treat their patients, even though they have the clinical knowledge to do so. Against the backdrop of many failed attempts to increase provider effort, this study examines whether quality of care can be improved by encouraging patients to be more active during consultations. We design a simple experiment with undercover standardised patients who randomly vary how much information they disclose about their symptoms. We find that providers are 27% more likely to correctly manage a patient who volunteers several key symptoms of their condition at the start of the consultation, compared to a typical patient who shares less information. Lower performance in the control group is not due to providers' lack of knowledge, an incapacity to ask the right questions, or a response to time or resource constraints. Instead, providers' low motivation seems to limit their ability to adapt their effort to patients' inputs in the consultation. Our findings provide proof-of-concept evidence that interventions making patients more active in their consultations could significantly improve the quality of care in LMICs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roxanne J. Kovacs
- Department of Economics and Centre for Health Governance, University of Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Mylene Lagarde
- London School of Economics and Political Science, Department of Health Policy, United Kingdom
| | - John Cairns
- London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Public Health and Policy, United Kingdom
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Kim S, Malova E. From Compliance to Adherence in Diabetes Self-care: Examining the Role of Patient's Potential for Mindful Non-Adherence and Physician-Patient Communication. Am J Health Promot 2022; 36:1094-1103. [PMID: 35081760 DOI: 10.1177/08901171211068401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To examine the roles of patient mindful non-adherence and physician-patient communication as important factors that facilitate an understanding of the relationship between compliance and adherence in diabetes management. DESIGN A cross-sectional survey Setting: Online data collection Subjects: 365 respondents at least 18 years of age and currently in treatment for diabetes Measures: We measured patients' compliance, adherence, mindfulness, and perceptions about physician-patient communication, as well as their demographic characteristics. ANALYSIS A moderated mediation analysis was conducted to examine the conditioned indirect effect of compliance on adherence. RESULTS The direct effect of compliance on adherence was positive and significant (β = .378, SE = .073, p < .05, BootCI [.234, .521]), but the compliance-adherence association was also partially mediated by patient's potential for mindful non-adherence. A higher level of compliance increased potential for mindful non-adherence (β = .716, SE = .082, p < .05, BootCI [.555, .876]), and, in turn, the increased potential for mindful non-adherence reduced adherence (β = -.107, SE = .045, p < .05, BootCI [-.196, -.018]). This detrimental mediating effect of potential for mindful non-adherence was contingent on the perceived quality of physician-patient communication (index = .076, SE = .038, 95% BootCI [.003, .153]), indicating that the positive perception significantly reduced the negative mediating effect of potential for mindful non-adherence on adherence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soyoon Kim
- Communication Studies5452University of Miami - Coral Gables Campus
| | - Ekaterina Malova
- Communication Studies5452University of Miami - Coral Gables Campus
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Khokhar B, Weathers S, Mattingly TJ. Direct‐to‐consumer advertising (
DTCA
) and the advancement of the quadruple aim: a narrative review. JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF CLINICAL PHARMACY 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/jac5.1599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Bilal Khokhar
- Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Cambridge Massachusetts
- General Dynamics Information Technology Silver Spring Maryland
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45
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Quah SEL, Ridgway A. The woman writer's body: Multiplicity, neoliberalism, and feminist resistance. GENDER WORK AND ORGANIZATION 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/gwao.12743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sharon Ee Ling Quah
- School of Humanities and Social Inquiry Faculty of the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities University of Wollongong Wollongong New South Wales Australia
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46
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Stivers T, McCabe R. Dueling in the clinic: When patients and providers disagree about healthcare recommendations. Soc Sci Med 2021; 290:114140. [PMID: 34774251 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
We begin by considering the evolving nature of the physician-patient relationship. Research shows that physicians have retained significant authority as health professionals but not to the extent that they had in the golden age of doctoring. Instead, as patient centered care movements gained momentum, patients became empowered through policies and parallel consumer social movements. Patient-centered care advocates envisioned an active patient who would ask questions and voice preferences and concerns but would remain rational and thus make choices that remained in line with standard of care practices. Instead, we discuss research on patient communication with clinicians that has documented an unexpected form of patient participation: patients sometimes advocate for treatments that are not necessarily good for them and sometimes resist recommendations that are the current standard of care. We review the varied ways in which these engaged patients influence diagnoses and treatment/care outcomes. Finally, we introduce the eight papers that comprise this special section of Social Science and Medicine on dueling in the clinic.
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Pillay T, Pillay M. The power struggle: exploring the reality of clinical reasoning. Health (London) 2021; 27:559-587. [PMID: 34763576 DOI: 10.1177/13634593211054008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Historically, clinical reasoning has largely been considered from an empirical, biomedical standpoint. This epistemology, rooted in imperial rule, is influential in how healthcare practitioners practice. An empirical approach to healthcare often oversimplifies the complex nature of clinical reasoning by obscuring the influence of imperial ideologies on decision-making. This can perpetuate inequitable approaches to healthcare delivery which deepen social, political and economic divides globally. This paper aims to explore and challenge this standpoint by exploring how power, imperialism and performativity influences healthcare provision and decision-making amongst healthcare practitioners in dysphagia rehabilitation. METHODS Qualitative exploratory interviews were undertaken with seven South African trained SLPs with experience working in dysphagia. To allow for participation and collaboration from participants, three data collection tools were employed within the interviews: oral histories, cognitive mapping and arts-based tasks. An initial modified thematic analysis followed by a further ideological analysis were undertaken to analyse the data collected. RESULTS The results suggest that the participants felt influenced by several manifestations of power within healthcare. We argue that this demonstrates that imperial practices can influence knowledge, interaction and context and therefore affect how healthcare practitioners make decisions. CONCLUSION By acknowledging the impact of imperialism and power dynamics on healthcare provision and clinical reasoning we can potentially begin to transform the epistemology from which we approach healthcare provision in favour of one which is better suited to the current realities of healthcare to allow for equitable service provision.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thiani Pillay
- Speech Language Therapy, University of KwaZulu Natal, South Africa
| | - Mershen Pillay
- Speech Language Therapy, University of KwaZulu Natal, South Africa.,Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand.,Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK
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Social media enabled interactions in healthcare: Towards a taxonomy. Soc Sci Med 2021; 291:114469. [PMID: 34700118 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Revised: 09/25/2021] [Accepted: 10/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Healthcare users and providers increasingly utilize social media to interact with one another. For a future understanding of when and how these interactions supplement or replace offline doctor-patient interactions, it is essential to understand who interacts, about what, and how these interactions can be categorized in a taxonomy. We draw on affordance theory and employ a mixed-methods approach to study social media interactions among healthcare users and providers. We first engage in qualitative content analysis, which is followed by cluster analysis. We identify five archetypal interactions and categorize these in a taxonomy that adds to current literature on how social media is utilized in the healthcare context. We also provide a clear and systematic overview of the interactions in different social media categories that can stimulate future research regarding doctor-patient interactions. Furthermore, we identify a new and distinct type of social media enabled interaction in healthcare, namely lifestyle support, focusing on prevention.
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Negotiating uncertainty in clinical encounters: A narrative exploration of naturally occurring primary care consultations. Soc Sci Med 2021; 291:114467. [PMID: 34653685 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2021] [Revised: 08/14/2021] [Accepted: 10/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Based on a narrative analysis of 20 naturally occurring clinical consultations between general practitioners and patients in England, sourced from the One in a million data archive, we explore how they conceptualize and negotiate medical and existential uncertainty. To capture the interactional element, which is often overlooked, three consultations receive special attention. While exploring the ongoing dynamics of the moment-to-moment realization of negotiations, we relate their actions to the institutionalized positions of doctor and patient. Situating their negotiations in the sociocultural context in which their interaction is embedded reveals how consultations unfold as a result of communication between two different positions in a normatively structured system. When uncertainty prevails, both patients and GPs mainly conceptualize uncertainty indirectly. By conceptualizing uncertainty indirectly and in a depersonalized manner, GPs manage to safeguard against clinical errors without compromising their authority and credibility. Contrary to medical uncertainty, which is continuously discussed, existential uncertainty usually recedes in the background. However, as our consultations unfold it becomes evident that medical and existential dimensions of uncertainty are inextricably linked. By acknowledging that clinical uncertainty is not only an epistemic concern but also an existential one, existential aspects may usefully rise to the surface.
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Jenkins TM, Underman K, Vinson AH, Olsen LD, E. Hirshfield L. The Resurgence of Medical Education in Sociology: A Return to Our Roots and an Agenda for the Future. JOURNAL OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL BEHAVIOR 2021; 62:255-270. [PMID: 34528486 PMCID: PMC8446898 DOI: 10.1177/0022146521996275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
From 1940 to 1980, studies of medical education were foundational to sociology, but attention shifted away from medical training in the late 1980s. Recently, there has been a marked return to this once pivotal topic, reflecting new questions and stakes. This article traces this resurgence by reviewing recent substantive research trends and setting the agenda for future research. We summarize four current research foci that reflect and critically map onto earlier projects in this subfield while driving theoretical development elsewhere in the larger discipline: (1) professional socialization, (2) knowledge regimes, (3) stratification within the profession, and (4) sociology of the field of medical education. We then offer six potential future directions where more research is needed: (1) inequalities in medical education, (2) socialization across the life course and new institutional forms of gatekeeping, (3) provider well-being, (4) globalization, (5) medical education as knowledge-based work, and (6) effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tania M. Jenkins
- The University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
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