Block 3

Question 1

What are lay beliefs?

Answer 1

Assumptions the general public hold to be true about their health

Question 2

What can influence lay beliefs?

Answer 2

Social status, culture, personal experience and social identity
Can be informed by professional perspectives (but important to acknowledge they are distinguishable)

Question 3

What is the definition of culture?

Answer 3

Values, norms, and traditions that affect how individuals of a particular group perceive, think, interact, behave, and make judgments about their world

Question 4

Why is it important for doctors to understand people’s lay health beliefs?

Answer 4

Influence health seeking behaviour so a good determinant of how people respond to symptoms, decisions about consulting, expectations about treatment and concordance with treatment plans

Question 5

What is the ‘symptom iceberg’?

Answer 5

Phenomenon that most symptoms are managed in the community without seeking the help of a medical professional (e.g. may be self-medicated, seek advice elsewhere or do nothing)

Question 6

What factors may influence a person’s decision to seek help from a healthcare professional?

Answer 6

Perception, explanation and evaluation of symptoms

Question 7

How is health behaviour defined?

Answer 7

Behaviours that are related to the health status of the individual

Can be positive health behaviours (e.g. sleeping 8 hours a night, regular exercise etc.) , health protective behaviours (e.g. wearing seatbelt, attending screenings) or health impairing habits (e.g. smoking, alcohol abuse etc.)

Question 8

What is the dual pathway model?

Answer 8

Idea that psychological processes both directly and indirectly impact physical health (indirectly via effect on health behaviours e.g. smoking as a coping mechanism for stress)

Question 9

What is locus of control and how can it influence health outcomes?

Answer 9

Expectations that future outcomes will be determined by factors that are either internal (self) or external (powerful others, and chance)
Internal locus of control associated with more favourable outcomes (take responsibility for own health etc.) - situational

Question 10

What is self-efficacy?

Answer 10

Belief in one’s own ability to organise and execute a course of action, and the expectation that the action will result in, or lead to, a desired outcome

Question 11

What are the five personality traits outlined in OCEAN?

Answer 11

Openness to new experiences
Conscientiousness
Extroversion 
Agreeableness
Neuroticism

Question 12

What is the definition of chronic illness?

Answer 12

Experience of living with a chronic condition for which there is currently no cure

Question 13

How many people in the UK live with a chronic condition?

Answer 13

1 in 3

Question 14

What are common coping strategies used by people living with chronic illness?

Answer 14

Denial (normally in early stages)
Normalisation
Resignation
Accommodation

Question 15

What are expert patients?

Answer 15

Those living with a chronic condition who are able to take the lead in managing their condition in partnership with HCPs - shared responsibility and effective communication leads to better health outcomes

Question 16

What is an expert patient programme?

Answer 16

Peer-led self management programmes covering topics such as healthy eating, exercise, pain management, action planning etc.
Can be generic or disease specific

Question 17

What is the crisis theory?

Answer 17

People need to find a social and psychological equilibrium for coping with living with a chronic illness
Challenges, setbacks and social influences all important in influencing coping responses

Question 18

What are the features of a pain management programme?

Answer 18

MDT approach using Gate Control Theory (combination of psychological and physical factors can open/ close gate)

Question 19

What are the advantages of a pain management programme?

Answer 19

Teaches people to change cognitive perceptions of pain by challenging unhelpful thoughts
Learn to manage stress, anxiety and low mood
Group programmes can reduce sense of isolation

Question 20

What are the disadvantages of a pain management programme?

Answer 20

Managing group dynamics
Stages of change (won’t work if patient is not ready to change)
Commitment

Question 21

What is the difference between paid and unpaid carers?

Answer 21

Paid carers = residential care homes, day centres or paid personal care in someone’s home
Unpaid carers = provide unpaid care by looking after an ill, frail, or disabled family member, friend or partner

Question 22

What are the advantages of using the term ‘carer’?

Answer 22

Identify a need and therefore appropriate services
Recognition of work and contribution of carers
Sense of identity - more likely to attend support groups etc

Question 23

What are the disadvantages of using the term ‘carer’?

Answer 23

Identity as only a ‘carer’
Isolates people into a role they may not want to do
May prefer to define themselves as son, daughter etc.
Undermines person being cared for

Question 24

What are some impacts of unpaid caring on the carer in terms of work life?

Answer 24

Lower incomes - reported by Carers UK that 1/3 struggle to make ends meet
Higher costs (heating bills etc.)
1/3 report giving up a job to care for someone

Question 25

What are the impacts of unpaid caring on the carer in terms of relationships and social exclusion?

Answer 25

Difficulty accessing holidays, leisure and social activities
May be harder to maintain relationships
May get few, or no, breaks from caring responsibilities

Question 26

What are some possible impacts of unpaid caring on the carer in terms of their health?

Answer 26

Poorer physical and mental health than non-carers
Injuries due to manual handling
Lack of time to care for own health

Question 27

What financial support is available for carers?

Answer 27

Carer’s Allowance = £64 a week (must be caring for 35+ hours per week and not earning more than £120 a week)
+ means tested benefits

Question 28

What is the Carer’s Assessment?

Answer 28

Under the Care Act (2014), Local Authorities are responsible for assessing an adult carer’s own needs for support

Question 29

What social support is available for young carers?

Answer 29

Social worker from Local Authority responsible for carrying out ‘young carer’s needs assessment’
Schools
Young carers projects (opportunities to take breaks from caring, share experiences etc.) - also help families to find suitable support from local services to reduce responsibility of young carer

Question 30

How can doctors support carers?

Answer 30

Involvement in all stages of discharge planning
Identify, and be responsive to, someone who has caring responsibilities
Information provision - about rights/ entitlements
Signposting to relevant services