Topic 16: patients + doctors

Question 1

Define health-related behavior

Answer 1

• Vary from person to person
• Behaviors concerning aspects of health + illness including:
• Daily behaviors with health implications = diet
• Preventative behaviors = dental checkups + screenings
• Risk avoidance = giving up smoking/alcohol
• Behavior related to symptoms = self medication + seeking help

Question 2

Why do health-related behaviors differ?

Answer 2

1) Biological = linked with body
- People with more symptoms = seek medical help more
- However evidence doesn’t support a link between severity of symptoms + visit doctors often = other explanation than biological
2) Past experiences = negative experiences cause less attendance
3) Health attitudes =
- Concern with health
- Belief of susceptibility
- Belief of severity
- Feel about benefit vs cost
- Belief of efficacy of action

Question 3

Describe the differences between doctors

Answer 3

• Even with common training = differences due to individual personalities + developed/suppressed characteristics
  2 TYPES:
  1) Primarily concerned with technical aspect = diagnose + treat = discharge
  2) Interested in psychosocial aspect = life they live + impact of condition on their life

Question 4

Give the complaints from the patient’s perspective

Answer 4

• Lack of info
• Communication gap
• Poor recall
• Low empathy
• Activity/passivity

Question 5

Give the complaints from the doctor’s perspective

Answer 5

• Low compliance
• Poor info

Question 6

Define lack of information

Answer 6

• Large proportion of patient complains = not given enough info
• Want to know exactly what is wrong + what will happen + treatment

Question 7

Define communication gap

Answer 7

• Information passed to/from patients = not understood/understood in different ways by doctor/patient
• Can lead to lack of compliance due to misunderstanding

Question 8

Define usage of technical jargon by doctors

Answer 8

• Patients appreciate high language but fail tp understand = don’t ask further clarification out of fear of looking stupid

Question 9

Define low compliance

Answer 9

• Arises from communication gap
• Due to poor recall of info given due to complexity of language
• Failure to understand advice = depend on own interpretation of severity
• Good communication = high opinion of doctor = high compliance BUT poor communication = low opinion = low compliance

Question 10

Describe the guidelines for patient interviewing

Answer 10

• Open interview = greet
• Encourage + prompt patient = patient may be reserved make comfortable
• Support + reassurance = leading questions + ask to clarify points
• Show empathy = understanding
• Good non-verbal communication = good eye contact + physical distance + posture + gesture = show human not machine