scholarly journals ‘Motivational work’: a qualitative study of preventive health dialogues in general practice

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie Broholm-Jørgensen ◽  
Siff Monrad Langkilde ◽  
Tine Tjørnhøj-Thomsen ◽  
Pia Vivian Pedersen

Abstract Background The aim of this article is to explore preventive health dialogues in general practice in the context of a pilot study of a Danish primary preventive intervention ‘TOF’ (a Danish acronym for ‘Early Detection and Prevention’) carried out in 2016. The intervention consisted of 1) a stratification of patients into one of four groups, 2) a digital support system for both general practitioners and patients, 3) an individual digital health profile for each patient, and 4) targeted preventive services in either general practice or a municipal health center. Methods The empirical material in this study was obtained through 10 observations of preventive health dialogues conducted in general practices and 18 semi-structured interviews with patients and general practitioners. We used the concept of ‘motivational work’ as an analytical lens for understanding preventive health dialogues in general practice from the perspectives of both general practitioners and patients. Results While the health dialogues in TOF sought to reveal patients’ motivations, understandings, and priorities related to health behavior, we find that the dialogues were treatment-oriented and structured around biomedical facts, numeric standards, and risk factor guidance. Overall, we find that numeric standards and quantification of motivation lessens the dialogue and interaction between General Practitioner and patient and that contextual factors relating to the intervention framework, such as a digital support system, the general practitioners’ perceptions of their professional position as well as the patients’ understanding of prevention —in an interplay—diminished the motivational work carried out in the health dialogues. Conclusion The findings show that the influence of different kinds of context adds to the complexity of prevention in the clinical encounter which help to explain why motivational work is difficult in general practice.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie Broholm-Jørgensen ◽  
Siff Monrad Langkilde ◽  
Tine Tjørnhøj-Thomsen ◽  
Pia Vivian Pedersen

Abstract Background The aim of this article is to explore preventive health dialogues in general practice in the context of a pilot study of a Danish primary preventive intervention ‘TOF’ (a Danish acronym for ‘Early Detection and Prevention’) carried out in 2016. The intervention consisted of 1) a stratification of patients into one of four groups, 2) a digital support system for both general practitioners and patients, 3) an individual digital health profile for each patient, and 4) targeted preventive services in either general practice or a municipal health center.Methods The empirical material in this study was obtained through 10 observations of preventive health dialogues conducted in general practices and 18 semi-structured interviews with patients and general practitioners. We used the concept of ‘motivational work’ as an analytical lens for understanding preventive health dialogues in general practice from the perspectives of both general practitioners and patients.Results While the health dialogues in TOF sought to reveal patients’ motivations, understandings, and priorities related to health behavior, we find that the dialogues were treatment-oriented and structured around biomedical facts, numeric standards, and risk factor guidance. Overall, we find that numeric standards and quantification of motivation lessens the dialogue and interaction between GP and patient and that contextual factors relating to the intervention framework, such as a digital support system, the general practitioners’ perceptions of their professional position as well as the patients’ understanding of prevention —in an interplay—diminished the motivational work carried out in the health dialogues.Conclusion The findings show that the influence of different kinds of context adds to the complexity of prevention in the clinical encounter which help to explain why motivational work is difficult in general practice.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie Broholm-Jørgensen ◽  
Siff Monrad Langkilde ◽  
Tine Tjørnhøj-Thomsen ◽  
Pia Vivian Pedersen

Abstract Background: The aim of this article is to explore preventive health dialogues in general practice in the context of a pilot study of a Danish primary preventive intervention ‘TOF’ (a Danish acronym for ‘Early Detection and Prevention’) carried out in 2016. The intervention consisted of 1) a stratification of patients into one of four groups, 2) a digital support system for both general practitioners and patients, 3) an individual digital health profile for each patient, and 4) targeted preventive services in either general practice or a municipal health center.Methods: The empirical material in this study was obtained through 10 observations of preventive health dialogues conducted in general practices and 18 semi-structured interviews with patients and general practitioners. We used the concept of ‘motivational work’ as an analytical lens for understanding preventive health dialogues in general practice from the perspectives of both general practitioners and patients.Results: While the health dialogues in TOF sought to reveal patients’ motivations, understandings, and priorities related to health behavior, we find that the dialogues were treatment-oriented and structured around biomedical facts, numeric standards, and risk factor guidance. Overall, we find that numeric standards and quantification of motivation lessens the dialogue and interaction between GP and patient and that contextual factors relating to the intervention framework, such as a digital support system, the general practitioners’ perceptions of their professional position as well as the patients’ understanding of prevention —in an interplay—diminished the motivational work carried out in the health dialogues.Conclusion: The findings show that the influence of different kinds of context adds to the complexity of prevention in the clinical encounter which help to explain why motivational work is difficult in general practice.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie Broholm-Jørgensen ◽  
Siff Monrad Langkilde ◽  
Tine Tjørnhøj-Thomsen ◽  
Pia Vivian Pedersen

Abstract Background The aim of this article is to explore preventive health dialogues in general practice in the context of a pilot study of a Danish primary preventive intervention ‘TOF’ (a Danish acronym for ‘Early Detection and Prevention’) carried out in 2016. The intervention consisted of 1) a stratification of patients into one of four groups, 2) a digital support system for both general practitioners and patients, 3) an individual digital health profile for each patient, and 4) targeted preventive services in either general practice or a municipal health center.Methods The empirical material in this study was obtained through 10 observations of preventive health dialogues conducted in general practices and 18 semi-structured interviews with patients and general practitioners. We used the concept of ‘motivational work’ as an analytical lens for understanding preventive health dialogues in general practice from the perspectives of both general practitioners and patients.Results We found that the health dialogues occurred as one-way communication characterized by biomedically based guidance, information, suggestions, and advice on risk factors passed on from the general practitioner to the patient. Further, contextual factors relating to the intervention framework, the general practitioners’ perceptions of their professional position as well as the patients’ understanding of prevention —in an interplay—diminished the motivational work carried out in the health dialogues.Conclusion The findings show that the influence of different kinds of context adds to the complexity of prevention in the clinical encounter which help to explain why motivational work is difficult in general practice.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie Broholm-Jørgensen ◽  
Siff Monrad Langkilde ◽  
Tine Tjørnhøj-Thomsen ◽  
Pia Vivian Pedersen

Abstract Background While treatment plays an important role in general practice, primary and secondary prevention of so-called health behavior diseases has become an urgent issue of health politics as well as an important task in general practice. Through an analytical lens of ‘motivational work’, we explore how preventive health dialogues unfold in Danish general practices, with the purpose of understanding the social interactions and temporal complexities embedded in preventive health dialogues. Methods The empirical material in this study was obtained through 10 observations of preventive health dialogues and 18 semi-structured interviews with patients and general practitioners. The TOF pilot study in 2016 made it possible to explore preventive health dialogues between GPs and patients in general practice. The intervention addressed early detection and prevention in general practice through an approach of population-based risk stratification. Results We found that both GPs and patients—in an interplay—affected motivational work in the health dialogues to occur as one-way communication characterized by biomedically based guidance, information, suggestions, and advice on risk factors. Our findings illustrate a tendency among GPs to do motivational work without facilitating dialogue, concerning neither the underlying social causes of the behavior nor the patients’ possibilities to change their health behavior. We furthermore found that patients took part in reproducing the biomedical and treatment-oriented focus in the clinical encounter. Patients’ perspectives and expectations with regard to the structure and content of the health dialogues influenced whether and how GPs sought to promote and awaken patients’ motivation to change health behavior. Conclusion Overall, our findings point to a discrepancy between a biomedical action perspective and the temporality of prevention, with the former lessening the dialogue and interaction between GP and patient.


1994 ◽  
Vol 165 (4) ◽  
pp. 533-537 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Turrina ◽  
R. Caruso ◽  
R. Este ◽  
F. Lucchi ◽  
G. Fazzari ◽  
...  

BackgroundWe investigated the prevalence of depression among 255 elderly general practice patients and the practitioners' performance in identifying depression.MethodElderly patients attending 14 general practices entered a screening phase with GHQ-12 and MMSE. Those positive were then interviewed with GMS and HAS.ResultsDSM-III-R major depression affected 22.4%, dysthymic disorder 6.3%, not otherwise specified (n.o.s.) depression 7.1 %. General practitioners performed fairly well: identification index 88.4%, accuracy 0.49, bias 1.85.ConclusionsDepression was markedly high. A selective progression of depressed elderly from the community to general practitioners is implied.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 51
Author(s):  
Richard S. Mayne ◽  
Nigel D. Hart ◽  
Neil Heron

<p class="abstract"><strong>Background:</strong> Many general practitioners (GPs) are sedentary for most of their working day. Levels of sedentary behaviour may have been exacerbated by increased use of telemedicine in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, as this is traditionally performed while sitting down. Excessive sedentary behaviour is associated with many adverse health outcomes and increased all-cause mortality. This study will gain quantitative data on levels of sedentary behaviour among GPs and general practice specialty trainees (GPSTs), to identify to what extent general practice is a sedentary occupation, as well as qualitative data regarding the barriers and facilitators to reducing sedentary behaviour in the general practice setting.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Methods:</strong> The study follows a sequential, mixed-methods model. The first stage will involve the dissemination of a questionnaire survey, where participants self-estimate their sedentary behaviour on a working day and on a non-working day. The second stage will use thigh-worn accelerometers and a sleep/work log to obtain objective data regarding sedentary behaviour among a purposive subset of participants who responded to the questionnaire. The third stage will involve semi-structured interviews with a purposive subset of accelerometer study participants, analysed with the application of a theoretical framework regarding the acceptability of healthcare interventions.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This paper outlines a protocol for a sequential, mixed-methods study exploring sedentary behaviour among GPs and GPSTs. Findings of this study will shed light on the new ways of working as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which will be relevant to clinicians working in similar primary care settings throughout the world.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Trial Registration:</strong> ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04556695. Date of registration: 21<sup>st</sup> September 2020.</p><p class="abstract"> </p>


Author(s):  
Patricia Deering ◽  
Arthur Tatnall ◽  
Stephen Burgess

ICT has been used in medical General Practice throughout Australia now for some years, but although most General Practices make use of ICT for administrative purposes such as billing, prescribing and medical records, many individual General Practitioners themselves do not make full use of these ICT systems for clinical purposes. The decisions taken in the adoption of ICT in general practice are very complex, and involve many actors, both human and non-human. This means that actor-network theory offers a most suitable framework for its analysis. This article investigates how GPs in a rural Division of General Practice not far from Melbourne considered the adoption and use of ICT. The study reported in the article shows that, rather than characteristics of the technology itself, it is often seemingly unimportant human issues that determine if and how ICT is used in General Practice.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 373
Author(s):  
Steven Lillis ◽  
Liza Lack

ABSTRACT INTRODUCTIONRepeat prescribing is common in New Zealand general practice. Research also suggests that repeat prescribing is a process prone to error. All New Zealand general practices have to comply with requirements to have a repeat prescribing policy, with the details of the policy to be designed by the practice. AIMTo inform the development of practice policy, research was undertaken with experienced general practitioners to identify and mitigate risk in the process. METHODSAt the 2019 annual conference of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners, a workshop was held with 58 experienced general practitioner participants. The group was divided into six small groups, each with the task of discussing one aspect of the repeat prescribing process. The results were then discussed with the whole group and key discussion points were transcribed and analysed. RESULTSIssues identified included: improving patient education on appropriateness of repeat prescribing; having protected time for medicine reconciliation and the task of repeat prescribing; reducing the number of personnel and steps in the process; and clarity over responsibility for repeat prescribing. DISCUSSIONThis research can inform the local development of a repeat prescribing policy at the practice level or be used to critique existing practice policies. Attention was also drawn to the increasing administrative burden that repeat prescribing contributes to in general practice.


1996 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 77-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Fairhurst ◽  
Christopher Dowrick

Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of counselling in the management of minor psychiatric morbidity in general practice, and to explore the reasons for difficulties in recruiting patients to such an evaluation. Methods: We attempted to conduct a randomized controlled trial of counselling in eight general practices in one NHS family health services authority area in England. Having experienced significant problems recruiting patients, we conducted semi-structured telephone interviews ( n = 8) with participating GPs to explore the reasons for these difficulties. Results: Five months after the start of the study only one patient had been recruited. The main reasons identified as contributing to the recruitment problems were: General practitioners' motivation for involvement in the study; their ethical doubts about the randomization process; the perceived lack of a viable non-counselling intervention; and their existing practical commitment to counselling. Conclusion: Although methodological modification might enhance the potential for success in future studies of this sort, more fundamental difficulties concerning general practitioners' attitudes to research and their professional responsibilities lie at the heart of our recruitment problems.


Author(s):  
Maria Laura Lippert ◽  
Susanne Reventlow ◽  
Marius Brostrøm Kousgaard

Quality standards play an increasingly important role in primary care through their inscription in various technologies for improving professional practice. While ‘hard’ biomedical standards have been the most common and debated, current quality development initiatives increasingly seek to include standards for the ‘softer’ aspects of care. This article explores the consequences of both kinds of quality standards for chronic care consultations. The article presents findings from an explorative qualitative field study in Danish general practice where a standardized technology for quality development has been introduced. Data from semi-structured interviews and observations among 17 general practitioners were analysed using an iterative analytical approach, which served to identify important variations in the uses and impacts of the technology. The most pronounced impact of the technology was observed among general practitioners who strictly adhered to the procedural standards on the interactional aspects of care. Thus, when allowed to function as an overall frame for consultations, those standards supported adherence to general recommendations regarding which elements to be included in chronic disease consultations. However, at the same time, adherence to those standards was observed to narrow the focus of doctor–patient dialogues and to divert general practitioners’ attention from patients’ personal concerns. Similar consequences of quality standards have previously been framed as manifestations of an inherent conflict between principles of patient-centredness and formal biomedical quality standards. However, this study suggests that standards on the ‘softer’ aspects of care may just as well interfere with a clinical approach relying on situated and attentive interactions with patients.


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