Help-seeking behaviour for the treatment of chronic pain

2011 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 90-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicola Cornally ◽  
Geraldine McCarthy
2001 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 257-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Blair H. Smith ◽  
Kay I. Penny ◽  
Alison M. Elliott ◽  
W.Alastair Chambers ◽  
W.Cairns Smith

2011 ◽  
pp. 31-34
Author(s):  
Nicola Cornally

Many people with Chronic Pain do not seek help from healthcare professionals; in some cases, they are suffering severe daily pain. Others have sought help initially but failed to return if their pain prescription ran out or treatment was ineffective. There is also a cohort of people who delay seeking help until their pain becomes intolerable. Untreated Chronic Pain can lead to increased disability, increased risk of fall, depression, sleep deprivation, reduced quality of life, social isolation and impact significantly on co-existing diseases. It is therefore pertinent to ask the following questions; why do some people suffer in silence? Why do people fall off the help-seeking path? Why is help-seeking delayed? Although these may be key questions to consider, it would be as prudent to ask what factors influence prompt help-seeking behaviour. The answers to the latter question may provide valuable information on model behaviour which could be adopted by ...


2005 ◽  
Vol 33 (66_suppl) ◽  
pp. 41-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Werner ◽  
Kirsti Malterud

Aim: This study explores how doctors can help patients transform vulnerability into strength, instead of increasing a feeling of disempowerment. Methods: The authors analysed their findings from four previously written articles based on qualitative interviews with 10 women with chronic pain, comparing the reported negative consultation experiences with the beneficial effects of good treatment experiences, in order to identify potentials for change. Results: Altering the way in which the women are encountered may empower and help them deal with a painful life. Doctors can challenge stereotyped macro-structures of women's ``unexplained'' pain as hysteria by admitting the shortcomings of medical knowledge. The blame is then put on the medical discipline instead of the individual patient who presents bodily symptoms or reveals help-seeking behaviour that does not fit with biomedical expectations of what illness is and how it should be performed. Thus, the vulnerable position described by the patients can be converted or transformed into strength or resources in spaces that promote empowerment through recognition. Conclusion: Although doctors may feel helpless or puzzled in the consultation, they must take the responsibility for turning the consultation into a space for empowerment of the patient.


Author(s):  
Lori K. Matuschka ◽  
James G. Scott ◽  
Marilyn A. Campbell ◽  
David Lawrence ◽  
Stephen R. Zubrick ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 797-797
Author(s):  
Nicholas Reed

Abstract Hearing Loss (HL) is common among older adults and is associated with poor health care quality outcomes include 30-day readmissions, length of stay, poorer satisfaction, and increased medical expenditures. These associations may manifest in changes in help-seeking behaviour. In the 2015 Current Medicare Beneficiary Study (MCBS) (n=10848; weighted sample=46.3 million), participants reported whether they knowingly had avoided seeking care in the past year and self-reported HL was measured as degree of trouble (none, a little, or a lot) hearing when using a hearing aid if applicable. In a model adjusted for demographic, socioeconomic, and health factors, those with a little trouble (OR= 1.612; 95% CI= 1.334-1.947; P<0.001) and a lot of trouble hearing (OR= 2.011; 95% CI= 1.443-2.801; P<0.001) had 61.2% and 101.1% higher odds of avoiding health care over the past year relative to participants with no trouble hearing. Future work should examine whether hearing care modifies this association.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. e004213
Author(s):  
Grace McCutchan ◽  
Bahr Weiss ◽  
Harriet Quinn-Scoggins ◽  
Anh Dao ◽  
Tom Downs ◽  
...  

IntroductionStarting cancer treatment early can improve outcomes. Psychosocial factors influencing patients’ medical help-seeking decisions may be particularly important in low and lower middle-income countries (LMIC) where cancer outcomes are poor. Comprehensive review evidence is needed to understand the psychosocial influences on medical help-seeking for cancer symptoms, attendance for diagnosis and starting cancer treatment.MethodsMixed-methods systematic review registered on PROSPERO (CRD42018099057). Peer-reviewed databases were searched until April 2020 for studies assessing patient-related barriers and facilitators to medical help-seeking for cancer symptoms, diagnosis and treatment in adults (18+ years) living in LMICs. Quality of included studies was assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme tool. Data were synthesised using meta-analytic techniques, meta-ethnography or narrative synthesis as appropriate.ResultsOf 3963 studies identified, 64 were included. In quantitative studies, use of traditional, complementary and alternative medicine (TCAM) was associated with 3.60 higher odds of prolonged medical help-seeking (95% CI 2.06 to 5.14). Qualitative studies suggested that use of TCAM was a key barrier to medical help-seeking in LMICs, and was influenced by causal beliefs, cultural norms and a preference to avoid biomedical treatment. Women face particular barriers, such as needing family permission for help-seeking, and higher stigma for cancer treatment. Additional psychosocial barriers included: shame and stigma associated with cancer such as fear of social rejection (eg, divorce/disownment); limited knowledge of cancer and associated symptoms; and financial and access barriers associated with travel and appointments.ConclusionDue to variable quality of studies, future evaluations would benefit from using validated measures and robust study designs. The use of TCAM and gender influences appear to be important barriers to help-seeking in LMIC. Cancer awareness campaigns developed with LMIC communities need to address cultural influences on medical help-seeking behaviour.


1996 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 503-510 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Lerner ◽  
N. Zilber

SynopsisThe psychological effects of the Gulf War were studied on a group of Israeli civilians particularly at risk, viz. recent immigrants from the former Soviet Union. A quasi-experimental design was used. A sample of immigrants who had already been screened for psychological distress just before the war were reassessed after the war with the same instrument (PERI demoralization questionnaire). Various parameters related to the war period were also assessed. Psychological symptoms during the war were significantly associated with pre-war level of distress and with actual physical harm from the missiles, but not with exposure to danger (proximity of residence to areas hit by missiles). Correlates of behaviour in the face of life-threatening danger during the war (change of residence and help-seeking behaviour) were also identified. Overall the level of post-war psychological distress was not found to be higher than pre-war levels. This was explained by the immigrants' feelings of shared fate, belonging and sense of cohesion, which characterize the general Israeli population during war time.


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