Challenges in physician-patient communication for optimal management of systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial lung disease: a discourse analysis

Clinical Rheumatology - Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a rare, potentially life-threatening condition. The prognosis is difficult to predict, and treatment is complex. This can be difficult to...     

Adherence to pulmonary rehabilitation: A qualitative study

OBJECTIVES: To explore the experiences of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients invited to join a pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) programme. PR has been shown to be an effective non-pharmacological intervention; however uptake and completion of programmes is frequently low. DESIGN: Qualitative study using semi-structured interviews. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty COPD patients aged 45-85 years, referred for PR over a 2-year period. RESULTS: In this group of patients the influence of the referring doctor was the key factor in leading patients to take up an invitation to attend a PR programme. Patients responded positively to doctors who imparted enthusiasm for, and belief in, the benefits of the intervention. Once started, ongoing adherence to the programme was positively influenced by a sense of group support, and increased self-confidence. Lack of social support at home and overcoming the effort of living with COPD in order to attend were cited as negative influences on continued adherence. CONCLUSIONS: This study has shown that the referring doctor plays a key role in the uptake of PR programmes. It suggests that a positive approach by doctors could increase the level of adherence to PR. Recognition and support in the area of social support for those living alone may also increase adherence. These simple, cost effective approaches may encourage more patients with COPD to participate in a therapeutic intervention which now has a strong evidence base.     

Adherence to antiretroviral therapy among a conflict-affected population in Northeastern Uganda: a qualitative study

We aimed to determine patient and health worker concerns regarding antiretroviral adherence in a conflict-affected population using focus groups (n = 40) and semi-structured interviews (n = 11). Patient concerns include security attending clinics, food security, distance to health centers and access to health providers. During periods of famine and flooding, the lack of food security and only single daily meals makes taking multiple doses impossible. Possible facilitating strategies included mobile teams, increased security and regularity of drug stocks.     

Recruiting ethnically diverse general internal medicine patients for a telephone survey on physician-patient communication

BACKGROUND: Limited evidence exists on the effectiveness of recruitment methods among diverse populations. OBJECTIVE: Describe response rates by recruitment stage, ethnic-language group, and type of initial contact letter (for African-American and Latino patients). DESIGN: Tracking of response status by recruitment stage and ethnic-language group and a randomized trial of ethnically tailored initial letters nested within a cross-sectional telephone survey on physician-patient communication. PARTICIPANTS: Adult general medicine patients with >or=1 visit during the preceding year, stratified by 4 categories: African-American (N= 1,400), English-speaking Latino (N= 894), Spanish-speaking Latino (N= 965), and non-Latino white (N= 1,400). MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Ethnically tailored initial letters referred to shortages of African-American (or Latino) physicians and the need to learn about the experiences of African-American (or Latino) patients communicating with physicians. Of 2,482 patients contacted, eligible, and able to participate (identified eligibles), 69.9% completed the survey. Thirty-nine percent of the sampling frame was unable to be contacted, with losses higher among non-Latino whites (46.5%) and African Americans (44.2%) than among English-speaking (32.3%) and Spanish-speaking Latinos (25.1%). For identified eligibles, response rates were highest among Spanish-speaking Latinos (75.2%), lowest for non-Latino whites (66.4%), and intermediate for African Americans (69.7%) and English-speaking Latinos (68.1%). There were no differences in overall response rates between patients receiving ethnically tailored letters (72.2%) and those receiving general letters (70.0%). CONCLUSIONS: Household contact and individual response rates differed by ethnic-language group, highlighting the importance of tracking losses by stage and subpopulation. Careful attention to recruitment yielded acceptable response rates among all groups.     

Role of communication in successful outpatient attendance in a New Zealand hospital: a qualitative study

Background

There are significant implications for both patients and providers when patients do not attend outpatient specialist appointments. Nonattendance has an impact on the efficiency of health care, provider resources and patient health outcomes.

Aims

In this qualitative study we aimed to gather insights on how Dunedin Hospital notifies patients about their appointments, the implications for the hospital and for patients and how the system could be improved.

Methods

We interviewed 13 hospital staff members and nine patients who volunteered to participate because they had missed appointments as a result of communication problems. Interviews were transcribed and analysed thematically using NVivo software.

Results

Dunedin Hospital relies heavily on posted letters to inform people about their appointments, with some also receiving reminder texts closer to the time of the appointment. Frustration with the current system was a common theme among both patients and staff. Almost all patients had missed an appointment because of a letter not arriving. While most patients found that the text reminders were helpful, most said they were sent too late and did not allow enough time for arrangements to be made for their appointments. Almost all patients experienced treatment delays, which caused distress. Most patients believed a self-booking system would improve the ability to attend their appointments, and most of them wanted to be notified of appointments via email.

Conclusions

We recommend that a patient-oriented approach to communication should be implemented, and alternative methods of communication should be explored.     

Ask the rheumatologist online: a qualitative analysis of a web-based service

Clinical Rheumatology - The objective of this study was to analyze the use of an Ask-the-Rheumatologist website service. All questions submitted were analyzed for gender, geographic...     

The work of negotiating HIV as a chronic condition: a qualitative analysis

Living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the industrialised world has for over a decade been conceptualised as living with a chronic illness. People living with HIV now are amongst the first to live and age with the virus. Drawing on a qualitative longitudinal study in a low-incidence area in a low-incidence country, this paper investigates the nuanced ways that people negotiate this condition. While it has been argued that HIV is a condition like any other chronic disease, our thematic analysis reveals some similarities and particularities around living with the condition. In comparing themselves to others with the condition, high levels of diversity of experience were identified that extended well beyond length of time from diagnosis. In comparing their illness with other illnesses, the location, for example, of their specialist service within a clinic for those with acute sexually transmitted diseases was identified as problematic. The work involved in maintaining a coherent sense of self in the face of existing and shifting challenges as a result of their infection was a second strong theme. The final theme involved flux and flex work in the ways people sought to gain and maintain control over various aspects of their lives. All of these experiences are mediated by place; that is the experience is not the same as that of those who live where there is a much higher incidence of infection. The work involved in negotiating this condition in low-incidence environments deserves more attention, but aspects of these findings are significant in higher incidence contexts as well; in particular, passivity in face of infection as one ages and the potential for medication refusal as a means of maintaining control over life and death.     

HIV patient insight on adhering to medication: a qualitative analysis

Research on HIV medication adherence has relied mainly on quantitative methods. The objective of this study was to explore factors associated with adherence from the HIV-infected patient's perspective. Six focus groups were convened with treatment-experienced HIV-positive individuals. The discussions focused on issues that make it easy or difficult to adhere to HIV regimens. Thirty-five patients participated in the focus groups, which were conducted in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles. The mean age was 48; 66% were male; 63% were black; and 40% contracted HIV through heterosexual contact. Six major themes emerged from the data that influenced adherence to medication: regimen complexity/medication features (including number of pills), lifestyle fit, emotional impacts (including worry, anger, stress and anxiety), side effects, medication effectiveness, and communication (including information from friends, physicians, and published sources). The data informed a conceptual framework, illustrating the possible interactions among these themes that can potentially be used by clinicians when discussing HIV treatment options with patients. This is potentially one of the first focus group studies concentrating on HIV medication adherence. The findings highlight specific factors that should be considered when trying to improve adherence and may be helpful in clinical decision-making.     

Micral-Test: a qualitative dipstick test for micro-albuminuria.

Micro-albuminuria is a very sensitive predictor of the development of renal disease in insulin- and non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. A reliable dipstick test for routine screening for micro-albuminuria is, therefore, desirable. Such a test has been developed by Boehringer Mannheim, Germany, and marketed as Micral-Test. It is an immunological slide-test with semi-quantitative properties. To evaluate its performance as a screening test we compared it with a turbidimetric immuno-assay. In 396 urine specimens from 132 patients, sensitivity was 91% and specificity 96% for a discriminating albumin level of 20 mg/l. Correlation with quantitative values was reasonable (r = 0.73). We also tested for micro-albuminuria, defined as mean albumin excretion rate of > or = 20 micrograms/min, determined with the turbidimetric immuno-assay in timed overnight urines on three consecutive days, whereas Micral-Test was considered to be positive for micro-albuminuria if the albumin concentration in one of the three urine samples was > or = 20 mg/ml. In 132 patients, the sensitivity of Micral-Test was 82% and the specificity 86%. Albumin excretion rate in all false-negative results was < 50 micrograms/min. We therefore concluded that Micral-Test is a useful qualitative screening test for micro-albuminuria in diabetic patients.     

Deployment of human-machine dialogue systems.

The deployment of systems for human-to-machine communication by voice requires overcoming a variety of obstacles that affect the speech-processing technologies. Problems encountered in the field might include variation in speaking style, acoustic noise, ambiguity of language, or confusion on the part of the speaker. The diversity of these practical problems encountered in the "real world" leads to the perceived gap between laboratory and "real-world" performance. To answer the question "What applications can speech technology support today?" the concept of the "degree of difficulty" of an application is introduced. The degree of difficulty depends not only on the demands placed on the speech recognition and speech synthesis technologies but also on the expectations of the user of the system. Experience has shown that deployment of effective speech communication systems requires an iterative process. This paper discusses general deployment principles, which are illustrated by several examples of human-machine communication systems.     

Why some MSM present late for HIV testing: a qualitative analysis

Although initiatives are under way in the UK to diagnose HIV infection early, late presentation is still a major issue and often results in serious health complications for the individual and has implications for society, including high costs and increased rates of transmission. Intervention strategies in the UK have aimed at increasing testing opportunities but still a significant proportion of those with HIV infection either decline testing or continue to test late. The main objective of this study is to identify ideas and themes as to why testing was not carried out earlier in men who have sex with men (MSM) who presented with late HIV infection. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with MSM presenting late with a CD4 cell count of <200. A structured framework approach was used to analyse the data collected and generate ideas as to why they did not seek testing earlier. Seventeen MSM were interviewed and four main themes were identified: psychological barriers, including fear of illness and dying, stigma surrounding testing for HIV and in living with a positive diagnosis, perceived low risk for contracting HIV despite participants reporting having a good understanding of HIV and its transmission and strong views that a more active approach by healthcare services, including general practice, is necessary if the uptake of HIV testing is to increase. Late presentation with HIV infection continues to be a problem in the UK despite government initiatives to expand opportunities for testing. Recurring themes for late testing were a low perceived risk for HIV infection and a fear of HIV and a positive diagnosis. Population-targeted health promotion alongside a more proactive approach by healthcare professionals and making HIV testing more convenient and accessible may result in earlier testing.