29. DOCTORS AND PATIENTS Flashcards
1
Q
- What is the focal point of all medical practice?
A
- the meeting between the patient and the doctor
2
Q
- What does the term “health related behaviour” refer to?
A
- it is used to cover a wide variety of behaviours
- these behaviours are concerned with health and illness
3
Q
- Which behaviours does Health Related Behaviour refer to?
A
- daily behaviours with health implications
(EG: diets) - preventative behaviours
(EG: attending dental check ups, screening) - risk avoidance
(EG: giving up smoking, limiting alcohol consumption) - specific behaviours in relation to symptoms and
illnesses
(EG: self-medication, seeking medical help, adhering to
medical advice)
4
Q
- Why do some people seek medical help more than other people?
A
- they have more severe symptoms
- they have past negative experiences
(this yields less attendance) - patients health attitudes and behaviours
5
Q
- What are some examples of Health Attitudes and Behaviours?
A
- the degree of interest and concern towards health
- the belief of one’s susceptibility to a particular illness
- beliefs about the severity of particular illnesses
- beliefs about the benefits and costs of a particular
health action - the beliefs about the efficacy of a particular health
action
6
Q
- What two categories are doctors divided into?
A
- those who are primarily concerned with technical
aspects of illness - those who are interested in psychosocial aspects of i
illness
NB: these two are not necessarily mutually exclusive
: these categories are a result of the individual’s
personality and whether they developed or were
suppressed during medical school & training
7
Q
- What does the quality of medical care depend on?
A
- the interaction of the doctor and the patient
- the communication between the doctor and the
patient - this interaction has been seen to be disappointing to
both parties
8
Q
- What are the complaints from the Patient’s Perspectives about medical interactions?
A
- lack of information
- communication gap
- poor recall
- low empathy
- activity and passivity
9
Q
- What are the complaints from the Doctor’s Perspective about medical interactions?
A
- low compliance
- poor information
10
Q
- What is meant by: Lack of Information?
A
- many patients complain that they are not given enough information about those who are treating them
- they want explicit information about the illness
11
Q
- What is the Communication Gap between patients and Doctors?
A
- it is a common problem area
- this problem is in reference to the information which passes to and from the patient
- the doctor and the patient do not understand
information from one another - they can understand this information in a different
way
12
Q
- What are the effects of doctors using technical jargon?
A
- patients are flattered by the use of this high technical
language - they do fail to understand it though
- patients tend not to ask for further clarification out of fear that the doctor may think they are stupid
13
Q
- What causes low patient compliance?
A
- the communication gap between patients and doctors
14
Q
- Why does the communication gap result in low patient compliance?
A
- poor recall of information
- poor recall of advice due to the complexity of language
- failure to understand the doctor’s advice
- the patient becomes reliant on their own perception of
the severity of the illness
15
Q
- What does good communication between the doctor and the patient lead to?
A
- it leads to high opinions of the doctor
- this means that there is high compliance by the patient
