Perceptions of a patient-staff-caregiver group among inpatients in a radiotherapy unit

2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 953-960
Author(s):  
Inbal Mitnik ◽  
Daniela Zalman ◽  
Marina Vorobeichik ◽  
Michal Gurevich-Halevi ◽  
Liron Eliasov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Distress ◽  
Therapeutic Intervention ◽  
Medical Staff ◽  
Illness Perception ◽  
General Satisfaction ◽  
Significant Aspect ◽  
Coping With Cancer ◽  
Community Meeting ◽  
Caregiver Group ◽  
Perceived Relationships

AbstractObjective:Coping with cancer and its treatments has significant psychological implications for patients, and hospitalization can lead to emotional distress. Based on a community meeting (CM), a common therapeutic intervention in psychiatric wards, a unique patient–staff–caregiver group is held weekly on the radiotherapy unit of our hospital. The goals are to strengthen patient coping abilities and prompt open communications. The present study aimed at quantitatively estimating the effect of the community meeting by gauging the perceptions with respect to several therapeutic aspects.Method:A questionnaire was developed for patients who participated in CMs during their hospitalization based on four theoretical factors: illness perception, relations with the main caregiver, relations with other participants, and relations with unit staff.Results:Participants' general satisfaction with the meetings was found to be positive. The most significant aspect of the meetings, as perceived by participants, was relationships with the staff. Patients born in Israel perceived relationships with other participants more positively.Significance of results:Attentive interaction with medical staff and open communications are highly important for patients and contribute to their general satisfaction with the meetings.

scholarly journals Disease Perception and Coping with Emotional Distress During COVID-19 Pandemic: A Survey Among Medical Staff

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (13) ◽  
pp. 4899 ◽  
Author(s):  
Milena Adina Man ◽  
Claudia Toma ◽  
Nicoleta Stefania Motoc ◽  
Octavia Luiza Necrelescu ◽  
Cosmina Ioana Bondor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Emotional Distress ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Medical Staff ◽  
Illness Perception ◽  
Coping Mechanisms ◽  
World Health ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
And Coping

The novel coronavirus disease, COVID-19, is a highly contagious infectious disease declared by the World Health Organization to be a pandemic and a global public health emergency. During outbreaks, health care workers are submitted to an enormous emotional burden as they must balance the fundamental “duty to treat” with their parallel duties to family and loved ones. The aims of our study were to evaluate disease perceptions, levels of stress, emotional distress, and coping strategies among medical staff (COVID-19 versus non-COVID-19 departments) in a tertiary pulmonology teaching hospital in the first month after the outbreak of COVID-19. One hundred and fifteen health care workers completed four validated questionnaires (the brief illness perception questionnaire, perceived stress scale, the profile of emotional distress emotional, and the cognitive coping evaluation questionnaire) that were afterwards interpreted by one psychologist. There was a high level of stress and psychological distress among health care workers in the first month after the pandemic outbreak. Interestingly, there were no differences between persons that worked in COVID-19 departments versus those working in non-COVID-19 departments. Disease perceptions and coping mechanisms were similar in the two groups. As coping mechanisms, refocusing on planning and positive reappraisal were used more than in the general population. There is no difference in disease perceptions, levels of stress, emotional distress, and coping strategies in medical staff handling COVID-19 patients versus those staff who were not handling COVID-19 patients in the first month after the pandemic outbreak.

scholarly journals Emotional distress, psychosomatic symptoms and their relationship with institutional responses: A survey of Italian frontline medical staff during the Covid-19 pandemic

Heliyon ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (12) ◽  
pp. e05766
Author(s):  
Tiziana Marinaci ◽  
Luna Carpinelli ◽  
Claudia Venuleo ◽  
Giulia Savarese ◽  
Pierpaolo Cavallo
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Distress ◽  
Medical Staff ◽  
Psychosomatic Symptoms ◽  
Institutional Responses

scholarly journals Pathographies and Epiphanies: Communicating about Illness

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 278-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda Nesby
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Distress ◽  
Medical Staff ◽  
Severe Illness ◽  
Knowing How ◽  
Religious Person ◽  
Romantic Era ◽  
Literary Device ◽  
Patient Stories

Abstract Epiphany is a literary device bringing forth an experience of sudden wisdom or insight and is particularly applied to literature from the romantic era. However, epiphanies are also present within contemporary autobiographical patient stories (pathographies) expressing something that is difficult and perhaps otherwise left unspoken. Kristian Gidlund’s pathography I kroppen min. Resan mot livets slut och alltings början (2013) deals with the author’s experience of having severe cancer. Gidlund was a non-religious person but at the end of his life, his blogposts included epiphanies or visionary moments regarding his afterlife. In this article the author shows how the use of epiphanies can be a subtle means of expressing thoughts and feelings when facing severe illness. Knowing how to identify and interpret epiphanies in pathographies can improve the abilities of relatives and medical staff to communicate with patients about existential matters and emotional distress. KAKA I would like to thank Rachael Reynolds and Paul Farmer for their most conscientious proofreading, and Dr. Christopher Oscarson for the accurate translation of the quotes from Kristian Gidlund’s book.

Experiences and Attitudes of Patients With Terminal Cancer and Their Family Caregivers Toward the Disclosure of Terminal Illness

2010 ◽  
Vol 28 (11) ◽  
pp. 1950-1957 ◽  
Author(s):  
Young Ho Yun ◽  
Yong Chol Kwon ◽  
Myung Kyung Lee ◽  
Woo Jin Lee ◽  
Kyung Hae Jung ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Family Caregivers ◽  
Emotional Distress ◽  
Terminal Illness ◽  
Terminal Cancer ◽  
Related Quality ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Caregiver Group ◽  
Terminal Diagnosis

Purpose We investigated the experiences of cancer patients and their family caregivers who became aware that the cancer was terminal, how they became aware, and how they felt about disclosure of the information. Patients and Methods In this cohort study, we administered questionnaires to 619 consecutive patients determined by physicians to be terminally ill and to their family caregivers. Results A total of 481 patients and 381 family caregivers completed the questionnaire. A majority of patients (58.0%) and caregivers (83.4%) were aware of the patient's terminal status. Approximately 28% of patients and 23% of caregivers reported that they guessed it from the patient's worsening condition. The patient group was more likely than the caregiver group (78.6% v 69.6%) to prefer that patients be informed of their terminal status. Patients informed of their terminal diagnosis had a significantly better quality of life and fewer symptoms and had a lower rate of emotional distress than patients who guessed it from their worsening condition. Younger patients and patients who paid the treatment costs themselves were significantly more likely to want to be told when their illness was terminal. If the patient paid the treatment cost and was employed at the time of the cancer diagnosis, the family caregivers were more likely to prefer disclosure of terminal illness. Conclusion Most patients with terminal cancer and their family caregivers preferred disclosure, and patients who knew of their terminal diagnosis had a lower rate of emotional distress and a higher health-related quality of life.

Care for Imminently Dying Cancer Patients: Family Members' Experiences and Recommendations

2010 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 142-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takuya Shinjo ◽  
Tatsuya Morita ◽  
Kei Hirai ◽  
Mitsunori Miyashita ◽  
Kazuki Sato ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Emotional Distress ◽  
Medical Staff ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Nationwide Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Dying Patients ◽  
The Family ◽  
High Level ◽  
Bereaved Family

Purpose The aim of this study was to clarify the level of emotional distress experienced by bereaved family members and the perceived necessity for improvement in the care for imminently dying patients and to explore possible causes of distress and alleviating measures. Methods A cross-sectional nationwide survey was performed in 2007 of bereaved families of cancer patients at 95 palliative care units across Japan. Results Questionnaires were sent to 670 families, and 76% responded. Families reported their experiences as very distressing in 45% of cases. Regarding care, 1.2% of respondents believed that a lot of improvement was needed, compared with 58% who believed no improvement was needed. Determinants of high-level distress were a younger patient age, being a spouse, and overhearing conversations between the medical staff outside the room at the time of the patient's death; those reporting high-level necessity of improvement were less likely to have encountered attempts to ensure the patient's comfort, received less family coaching on how to care for the patient, and felt that insufficient time was allowed for the family to grieve after the patient's death. Conclusion A considerable number of families experienced severe emotional distress when their family member died. Thus, we propose that a desirable care concept for imminently dying cancer patients should include relief of patient suffering, family advisement on how to care for the patient, allowance of enough time for the family to grieve, and ensuring that family members cannot overhear medical staff conversations at the time of the patient's death.

scholarly journals Perception of Own Illness and Trust in Medical Personnel among Chronically Ill People

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 34
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Pawlikowska - Łagód ◽  
Magdalena Suchodolska
Keyword(s):  
Medical Staff ◽  
Therapeutic Process ◽  
Illness Perception ◽  
Medical Personnel ◽  
Chronically Ill ◽  
Survey Method ◽  
Illness Perception Questionnaire ◽  
Received Social Support ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Way

Appropriate perceptions of own disease by chronically ill person significantly affects the success of the diagnostic and therapeutic process. It depends on the existential situation of the patient, the adopted strategy of coping with the disease, received social support, as well as on the way the patient is treated by medical personnel. The aim of the conducted research was to assess the relationship between the perception of the disease by chronically ill people and their trust in medical staff. The study involved 511 people receiving treatment for chronic diseases. The diagnostic survey method was used in the study, the research tools were: the Imagination and Perception of Illness Scale (IPIS), the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (Brief IPQ), the Trust in Physician scale by L.A. Anderson and R.F. Dedrick, and a self-authorship questionnaire. Among the studied population, statistically significant relationships were observed between the perception of own disease by the patient, measured with the IPIS scale, and the trust in medical personnel calculated with the Trust in Physician. In the study group, there are statistically significant differences between the belief of the respondents in the effectiveness of treating their own disease and the overall result of trust in medical personnel. The perception of own disease by chronically ill people affects the level of trust in medical staff. The way the patients will perceive their illness depends, among other things, on the relationship between them and the doctor.

Intensive Stuttering Therapy With Telepractice Follow-up: A Case Study

2011 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Farzan Irani ◽  
Rodney Gabel
Keyword(s):  
Case Report ◽  
Therapeutic Intervention ◽  
Intensive Therapy ◽  
Positive Outcome ◽  
Eclectic Approach

This case report describes the positive outcome of a therapeutic intervention that integrated an intensive, residential component with follow-up telepractice for a 21 year old male who stutters. This therapy utilized an eclectic approach to intensive therapy in conjunction with a 12-month follow-up via video telepractice. The results indicated that the client benefited from the program as demonstrated by a reduction in percent stuttered syllables, a reduction in stuttering severity, and a change in attitudes and feelings related to stuttering and speaking.

Illness Perception and Its Changes During Six Months After Cardiac Rehabilitation

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 90-100
Author(s):  
Justė Lukoševičiūtė ◽  
Kastytis Šmigelskas
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Social Factors ◽  
Nyha Class ◽  
Illness Perception ◽  
Heart Association ◽  
Class Iii ◽  
Cognitive Representations ◽  
Coronary Syndrome ◽  
Type D ◽  
New York Heart Association

Abstract. Illness perception is a concept that reflects patients' emotional and cognitive representations of disease. This study assessed the illness perception change during 6 months in 195 patients (33% women and 67% men) with acute coronary syndrome, taking into account the biological, psychological, and social factors. At baseline, more threatening illness perception was observed in women, persons aged 65 years or more, with poorer functional capacity (New York Heart Association [NYHA] class III or IV) and comorbidities ( p < .05). Type D personality was the only independent factor related to more threatening illness perception (βs = 0.207, p = .006). At follow-up it was found that only self-reported cardiovascular impairment plays the role in illness perception change (βs = 0.544, p < .001): patients without impairment reported decreasing threats of illness, while the ones with it had a similar perception of threat like at baseline. Other biological, psychological, and social factors were partly associated with illness perception after an acute cardiac event but not with perception change after 6 months.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document