MORE TO HEALING THAN SCIENTFIC KNOWLEDGE

Question 1

A: PSYCHOLOGICAL

Answer 1

Psychological treatment
Therapy
Healing through communication
Individual: each patient has a different life, different opinions, different medical conditions needing attention
Therapy is based on a patient’s past life experiences and the relationship built between the patient and medical professional
Hard to quantify exactly how much of a benefit a patient will have from therapy: individualist

Question 2

A: PALLIATIVE

Answer 2

Treatment is based upon an individual patient’s needs, concerns and motivations, Based upon their pain thresholds and quality of life: not the disease.
Each person is different: no scientific study can tell you how comfortable a patient is

Question 3

A: HOLISTIC CARE

Answer 3

Holistic care
Considering a patient’s social history in combination with physical symptoms and disease presentation
Psychological states can influence physical symptoms
Stress: can exacerbate many medical conditions
E.g. Crohn’s disease: patients can experience flare-ups in symptoms that are stress-related
Patient concerns and lifestyle can impact their ability to comply with disease management
Example:
Heart palpitations: can be caused by underlying cardiovascular pathology (like arrhythmia)
Or: can be caused by stress and anxiety
If we treat or address the stress - can resolve the physical symptoms

Question 4

A: DOCTOR-PATIENT RELATIONSHIP

Answer 4

The Doctor-Patient Relationship
Ultimately is how all treatment is delivered
And how treatment decisions are made
The scientific method can tell us which treatments work for which conditions, but we only identify a condition based on what the patient tells us
Poor communication, incomplete histories → wrong diagnosis
Communicate the treatment and involve the patient in decision making
Patient-centred decision making: improves compliance and ‘healing’ efficacy by considering a patient’s opinion and preferences for treatment
If a patient doesn’t agree with or understand the treatment, there will compliance, even if the therapy is very effective from clinical trials