scholarly journals Patients’ Perspectives on the Usability of a Blended Approach to an Integrated Intervention for Patients With Medically Unexplained Physical Symptoms: Mixed Methods Study

10.2196/19794 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (9) ◽  
pp. e19794
Author(s):  
Suze Adriana Johanna Toonders ◽  
Paula Elisabeth van Westrienen ◽  
Sophie Konings ◽  
Marianne E Nieboer ◽  
Cindy Veenhof ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Integrated Design ◽  
Physical Symptoms ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Medically Unexplained Physical Symptoms ◽  
System Usability Scale ◽  
Medically Unexplained ◽  
Blended Care ◽  
Unexplained Physical Symptoms

Background Medically unexplained physical symptoms are physical symptoms, such as pain, fatigue, and dizziness, that persist for more than a few weeks and cannot be explained after adequate medical examination. Treatment for preventing the chronicity of symptoms is recommended. A promising approach is identifying patients who are at risk and subsequently offering a blended care intervention that focuses on promoting self-management while using eHealth as a supportive tool. When these interventions match with a patient’s expectations, their effectiveness grows. Objective This study aimed to obtain more insights into usability from the patient perspective to improve future interventions. Methods A mixed methods design (ie, the use of qualitative and quantitative data) was used. Through semistructured interviews, in-depth insights were gained into patients’ perspectives on usability. The analysis process was continuous and iterative. Data were synthesized and categorized into different themes. The System Usability Scale, which measures the usability of a system, was used to compare participants that found usability to be low, medium, or high. This study was approved by the Medical Ethical Committee Utrecht (approval number: 17-391/C). Results Saturation was reached after interviewing 13 participants. The following four themes emerged from the interviews: motivations and expectations prior to participating in the program, the applicability of e-coaching, the role of health care professionals, and the integrated design of the blended approach. Conclusions The successful implementation of integrated blended care interventions based on patients’ perspectives requires matching treatments to patients’ individual situations and motivations. Furthermore, personalizing the relative frequency of face-to-face appointments and e-coaching can improve usability.

scholarly journals Patients’ Perspectives on the Usability of a Blended Approach to an Integrated Intervention for Patients With Medically Unexplained Physical Symptoms: Mixed Methods Study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suze Adriana Johanna Toonders ◽  
Paula Elisabeth van Westrienen ◽  
Sophie Konings ◽  
Marianne E Nieboer ◽  
Cindy Veenhof ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Integrated Design ◽  
Physical Symptoms ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Medically Unexplained Physical Symptoms ◽  
System Usability Scale ◽  
Medically Unexplained ◽  
Blended Care ◽  
Unexplained Physical Symptoms

BACKGROUND Medically unexplained physical symptoms are physical symptoms, such as pain, fatigue, and dizziness, that persist for more than a few weeks and cannot be explained after adequate medical examination. Treatment for preventing the chronicity of symptoms is recommended. A promising approach is identifying patients who are at risk and subsequently offering a blended care intervention that focuses on promoting self-management while using eHealth as a supportive tool. When these interventions match with a patient’s expectations, their effectiveness grows. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to obtain more insights into usability from the patient perspective to improve future interventions. METHODS A mixed methods design (ie, the use of qualitative and quantitative data) was used. Through semistructured interviews, in-depth insights were gained into patients’ perspectives on usability. The analysis process was continuous and iterative. Data were synthesized and categorized into different themes. The System Usability Scale, which measures the usability of a system, was used to compare participants that found usability to be low, medium, or high. This study was approved by the Medical Ethical Committee Utrecht (approval number: 17-391/C). RESULTS Saturation was reached after interviewing 13 participants. The following four themes emerged from the interviews: motivations and expectations prior to participating in the program, the applicability of e-coaching, the role of health care professionals, and the integrated design of the blended approach. CONCLUSIONS The successful implementation of integrated blended care interventions based on patients’ perspectives requires matching treatments to patients’ individual situations and motivations. Furthermore, personalizing the relative frequency of face-to-face appointments and e-coaching can improve usability.

scholarly journals Barriers and facilitators in the usability of an integrated blended care program in patients with medically unexplained physical symptoms from the healthcare professionals’ perspective; a qualitative study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suze Adriana Johanna Toonders ◽  
Eva Y Poolman ◽  
Marianne E Nieboer ◽  
Martijn Frits Pisters ◽  
Cindy Veenhof
Keyword(s):  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Interprofessional Collaboration ◽  
Behavioural Change ◽  
Care Program ◽  
Physical Symptoms ◽  
Medically Unexplained Physical Symptoms ◽  
Medically Unexplained ◽  
Blended Care ◽  
Unexplained Physical Symptoms

Abstract Background: Increasingly, healthcare policies have changed focus from cure and care to behaviour and health. Prevention is becoming more important, which requires a change in the role of healthcare professionals. Healthcare professionals’ role is changing from being a therapist to taking on the role of a coach. To prevent chronicity in Medically Unexplained Physical Symptoms (MUPS), an integrated blended care program was developed. To apply this new program in daily practice, it is important to gain insight into the usability. From the healthcare professionals’ point of view the concept of usability consists of performance, satisfaction and acceptability. Methods: Data were collected from semi-structured interviews, which were recorded and transcribed. Data were analysed manually and independently by two researchers. Results: Ten healthcare professionals (six physical therapists and four mental health nurses) were interviewed. Six core themes on usability were identified: (1) selection and motivation of patients, (2) training and doing, (3) program procedure, (4) maturity of the e-Coaching application, 5) interprofessional collaboration and (6) expectations and experiences. Conclusion: An integrated blended care program offers the possibility to personalize treatment. This study gathered healthcare professionals’ experiences with and attitudes towards integrating healthcare and offering blended care programs. Findings show attention should be given to the new responsibilities of healthcare professionals, and their role in integrated and blended care. This new approach of delivering healthcare can facilitate interprofessional collaboration. Achieving sustainable change in patients however still requires instruction and support for healthcare professionals implementing behavioural change techniques. Trail registration: The study was approved by the Medical Ethical Committee Utrecht, by number 17/391. Registered 14 June 2017, https://www.metc-utrecht.nl/

scholarly journals Recognition of patients with medically unexplained physical symptoms by family physicians: results of a focus group study

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Madelon den Boeft ◽  
Danielle Huisman ◽  
Johannes C. van der Wouden ◽  
Mattijs E. Numans ◽  
Henriette E. van der Horst ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
Family Physicians ◽  
Physical Symptoms ◽  
Focus Group Study ◽  
Medically Unexplained Physical Symptoms ◽  
Medically Unexplained ◽  
Unexplained Physical Symptoms

Medically unexplained physical symptoms - a multidisciplinary approach

2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (S2) ◽  
pp. 1573-1573
Author(s):  
V. Pais ◽  
D. Correia ◽  
F. Ramalho e Silva
Keyword(s):  
Multidisciplinary Approach ◽  
Somatoform Disorders ◽  
Physical Symptoms ◽  
Medically Unexplained Physical Symptoms ◽  
Daily Work ◽  
Medline Search ◽  
Effective Interventions ◽  
Medically Unexplained ◽  
Unexplained Physical Symptoms

BackgroundMedically unexplained physical symptoms (MUPS) can be defined as physical symptoms that have no currently known physical pathological cause. MUPS account for one in five new consultations in primary care and for one third of new patients when neurology consultations are considered.Patients with MUPS present significant distress and impaired function and their diagnosis is sometimes hard to establish. The classification of somatoform disorders has been found to be insufficiently useful for therapeutic and scientific purposes. Some authors suggest that new classifications should attend to clinical utility, defined as (1) the extent to which a diagnosis can help clinicians understand or conceptualize a disorder in their daily work; (2) the extent to which a diagnosis can help the clinician communicate useful information to others, including practitioners, family members, patients, and administrators; (3) the extent to which the presence of a disorder helps the clinician choose effective interventions, and (4) the extent to which a disorder can predict future clinical management needs.AimThis review aims to discuss the management of MUPS in mental health services, attending to the importance of a multidisciplinary approach.MethodsPubmed Medline search on MUPS and review of recent literature.DiscussionThe management of MUPS implies a multidisciplinary approach that can offer different solutions for different degrees of disorder severity and takes into account the perception of the patient about his own illness. New classifications of somatoform disorders that include comprehensible explanations about these symptoms could be helpful for patients and health professionals.

scholarly journals The Fish Can Sing by Halldór Laxness: Holding fast against vanity and illusion

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 428-430
Author(s):  
David S. Baldwin
Keyword(s):  
Alcohol Use ◽  
Alcohol Use Disorders ◽  
Nobel Laureate ◽  
Physical Symptoms ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Medically Unexplained Physical Symptoms ◽  
Celebrity Suicide ◽  
Medically Unexplained ◽  
Adaptive Resilience ◽  
Unexplained Physical Symptoms

SummaryIn his early novels, the Icelandic Nobel laureate Halldór Laxness portrayed troubled individuals beset by familial, societal and economic challenges within an unpredictable and often unforgiving landscape; his later work addressed humanistic concerns regarding a well-lived life and the harmony of individual and environment. His 1957 novel The Fish Can Sing lies at the cusp of these preoccupations. Laxness contrasts the economic privations experienced by hard-pressed Icelanders with the ostentatious displays of their Danish colonial overloads; he also portrays individuals afflicted by psychosis, alcohol use disorders and medically unexplained physical symptoms, and delineates the path towards a ‘celebrity’ suicide. The novel warns against self-deceptive vanity and community-endorsed illusions, and celebrates the persistent benefits of nurturing relationships, all within a lyric contemplation of individual adaptive resilience and quotidian domestic pleasures.

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