scholarly journals Physicians' Psychosocial Work Conditions and Quality of Care: A Literature Review

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Angerer ◽  
Matthias Weigl

Background: Physician jobs are associated with adverse psychosocial work conditions. We summarize research on the relationship of physicians' psychosocial work conditions and quality of care. Method: A systematic literature search was conducted in MEDLINE and PsycINFO. All studies were classified into three categories of care quality outcomes: Associations between physicians' psychosocial work conditions and (1) the physician-patient-relationship, or (2) the care process and outcomes, or (3) medical errors were examined. Results: 12 publications met the inclusion criteria. Most studies relied on observational cross-sectional and controlled intervention designs. All studies provide at least partial support for physicians’ psychosocial work conditions being related to quality of care. Conclusions: This review found preliminary evidence that detrimental physicians’ psychosocial work conditions adversely influence patient care quality. Future research needs to apply strong designs to disentangle the indirect and direct effects of adverse psychosocial work conditions on physicians as well as on quality of care. Keywords: psychosocial work conditions, physicians, quality of care, physician-patient-relationship, hospital, errors, review, work stress, clinicians

2021 ◽  
pp. bmjspcare-2020-002764
Author(s):  
Catherine Owusuaa ◽  
Irene van Beelen ◽  
Agnes van der Heide ◽  
Carin C D van der Rijt

ObjectivesAccurate assessment that a patient is in the last phase of life is a prerequisite for timely initiation of palliative care in patients with a life-limiting disease, such as advanced cancer or advanced organ failure. Several palliative care quality standards recommend the surprise question (SQ) to identify those patients. Little is known about physicians’ views on identifying and disclosing the last phase of life of patients with different illness trajectories.MethodsData from two focus groups were analysed using thematic analysis with a phenomenological approach.ResultsFifteen medical specialists and general practitioners participated. Participants thought prediction of patients’ last phase of life, i.e. expected death within 1 year, is important. They seemed to find that prediction is more difficult in patients with advanced organ failure compared with cancer. The SQ was considered a useful prognostic tool; its use is facilitated by its simplicity but hampered by its subjective character. The medical specialist was considered mainly responsible for prognosticating and gradually disclosing the last phase. Participants’ reluctance to such disclosure was related to uncertainty around prognostication, concerns about depriving patients of hope, affecting the physician–patient relationship, or a lack of time or availability of palliative care services.ConclusionsPhysicians consider the assessment of patients’ last phase of life important and support use of the SQ in patients with different illness trajectories. However, barriers in disclosing expected death are prognostic uncertainty, possible deprivation of hope, physician–patient relationship, and lack of time or palliative care services. Future studies should examine patients’ preferences for those discussions.


1994 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryuji Ishiwata ◽  
Akio Sakai

In April 1991, a general meeting of the Japanese Medical Conference (called ev 4 years) was held in Kyoto and attracted 32,500 participants, the largest number ever. The theme of the meeting was “Medicine and Health Care in Transition,” and the program Included panel discussions on “How to Promote the Quality of Health Care” and “How Terminal Care Should Be Provided” and symposia on “Diagnosis of Brain Death and Its Problems,” “The Propriety of Organ Transplantation,” and “Brain Death and Organ Transplantation.” These titles reveal not only how medical professionals in Japan perceive the present situatior healthcare but also the Issues that most concern them.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-41
Author(s):  
Hossein Khoshrang ◽  
◽  
Morteza Rahbar Taramsari ◽  
Cyrus Emir Alavi3 ◽  
Robabeh Soleimani ◽  
...  

Background: In patients undergoing Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT), obtaining written Informed Consent (IC) must be the standard measure before the procedure. The patient must be informed about the risks and benefits of the treatment and alternatives. Objectives: We aimed to investigate the quality of IC obtaining before the ECT course in an academic hospital in the North of Iran. Materials & Methods: This study was conducted at an academic center in the north of Iran during 2018-2019. Firstly the patients’ mental capacity was assessed, and if it was not adequate for giving informed consent, a patient’s relative was interviewed. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS V. 22. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to evaluate the normality assumption. To compare the mean scores in subgroups, we applied t-test. Results: A total of 259 people enrolled in the survey and were interviewed. Schizophrenia was the main cause of receiving ECT. The Mean±SD score of receiving information was 8.22±3.68 (0-16), understandability of IC 3.03±1.76 (0-6), patients’ voluntary acceptance of the treatment 1.38±0.68 (0-4) and physician-patient relationship 6.11±2.16 (0-12). The total Mean±SD score was 18.05±3.16 (0-38). Conclusion: IC process was not optimal in our center; however, great trust in the physicians was noticeable. The physician-patient relationship had the highest score while the intentional obtaining of informed consent achieved the lowest.


Blood ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 110 (11) ◽  
pp. 2060-2060
Author(s):  
Tait D. Shanafelt ◽  
Deborah Bowen ◽  
Chaya Venkat ◽  
Susan L. Slager ◽  
Clive S. Zent ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) can have a profound effect on the quality of life (QOL) of patients living with the illness. To our knowledge, no studies to date have evaluated the influence of the doctor-patient relationship on patient’s emotional distress or QOL. Methods: We conducted an international, web-based survey of patients with CLL using standardized instruments to evaluate QOL. Additional questions on the survey explored how often patients thought about their disease and evaluated their satisfaction with specific aspects of their relationship with the physician caring for them. Patients were also asked to indicate what phrases their physicians had used to describe/characterize CLL. Results: Between June and October 2006, 1482 patients responded to the survey. The diagnosis of CLL was validated in a randomly selected subset of patients. Over half (55.9%; n=822) of patients reported they thought about their CLL diagnosis daily. Although the proportion of patients who thought about CLL daily decreased with time, two or more years after diagnosis over 50% of patients still thought about their disease every day. When asked to indicate their satisfaction with various aspects of the physician caring for their CLL, more than 90% (n=1340) of patients felt their doctor had a good understanding of how their disease was progressing (i.e., the stage, blood counts, lymph nodes) but only 69% (n=1024) felt their physician had a good understanding of how CLL affected their QOL (anxiety, worry, fatigue, etc.). Similarly, while 90% (n=1324) of patients felt comfortable talking to their doctor about treatment and management of CLL, only 77% (n=1134) felt comfortable talking to their doctor about how CLL affected QOL. Reported satisfaction with their physician in these areas strongly related to patients’ measured emotional and overall QOL on standardized instruments (all p<0.001). This effect on QOL remained (p<0.002) after adjustment for age, extent of co-morbid health conditions, measured fatigue, and treatment status in a regression analysis. Finally, patients were asked to indicate whether the physician caring for them had used specific phrases to describe CLL. Thirty-three percent of patients had been told “CLL is the ‘good’ leukemia,” 24% had been told “don’t worry about your CLL,” and 35% had been told “if you could pick what cancer to have, this is what you would choose.” Overall, 52% of patients had received one or more of these characterizations of CLL by their physician. The emotional and overall QOL were worse among patients who reported their physician had used these phrases to describe CLL (all p≤0.001). This effect on QOL remained after regression analysis (p<0.002). Patients whose physician had used one of these phrases to describe CLL were also less likely to feel their physician understood how CLL was effecting their QOL and to feel comfortable discussing the effects of CLL on their QOL with their physician (all p<0.001). Conclusions: Physicians play an important role helping patients adjust to the physical, intellectual, and emotional challenges of CLL. The effectiveness with which physicians accomplish these tasks appears to impact the QOL of patients with CLL. Additional studies exploring how physicians can best support patients with CLL are needed.


2007 ◽  
Vol 56 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marianna Gensabella Furnari

L’impostazione classica della questione bioetica dell’eutanasia attraverso il paradigma dei principi conduce a risolvere la questione con un sì, se si privilegia il principio di autonomia, o con un no se si dà il primato al principio dell’indisponibilità della vita. Il saggio muove dalla proposta che sia possibile un altro approccio, basato sull’interazione, suggerita come linea metodica da Warren T. Reich, del paradigma dei principi con gli altri paradigmi della bioetica: l’esperienza, la cura, la virtù. Il primo momento è ripensare l’eutanasia come l’oggetto di una domanda che viene dalla sofferenza e che, come tale, va accolta ed interpretata in un contesto di relazione. A differenza del suicidio, non vi è qui un darsi la morte, ma un domandare la morte all’altro. L’attenzione etica va spostata dal far centro esclusivamente sull’autonomia al focalizzarsi anche e soprattutto sulla relazione, in particolare sulla complessità e le contraddizioni che segnano oggi la relazione tra il paziente e il medico. Anche se chiede una “cura” limite, paradossale che non può essere data, pena la contraddizione e il ribaltamento degli stessi fini della medicina, la domanda di eutanasia non può restare inevasa, ma deve essere accolta, ri-aperta con l’attenzione che il paradigma di cura impone, con l’humanitas che il paradigma di virtù ci consegna. L’attenzione etica all’esperienza di chi domanda la morte diviene il primo momento per trovare una conciliazione tra momenti apparentemente antitetici, come la sacralità e la qualità della vita, per cogliere la complementarità tra diritti apparentemente antitetici come il diritto ad essere lasciati soli e il diritto a non essere lasciati soli, per sostenere insieme la liberazione dal dolore fisico e la liberazione del dolore dell’anima. Spostando il punto di vista dalla libertà alla relazione, il saggio vuole indicare l’impossibilità etica di dire di sì all’eutanasia proprio sul versante della relazione, ponendo al tempo stesso l’accento non solo sulla responsabilità che il dire di sì comporta, ma anche sulle altre responsabilità di cui la domanda di eutanasia ci fa carico: le responsabilità che riguardano la situazione da cui trae origine, e le altre che riguardano ciò che rimane da fare per rispondere alla richiesta di aiuto e di cura che la domanda sottende. Con il movimento proprio dell’etica della cura, il saggio vuole proporre di non risolvere il dilemma in cui la questione bioetica dell’eutanasia sembra costringerci, rinunciando alla vita o alla libertà, ma di provare a ridefinire il contesto da cui il dilemma ha origine, in modo tale che sia possibile tenere insieme vita e libertà. ---------- Classical approach to the problem of the euthanasia, through the paradigm of the principles conducts to solve the matter with a yes, if the principle of autonomy is privileged, or with a no if the primacy is given to the principle of the unavailability of the life. This paper moves from the proposal that another approach is possible, based on the interaction, suggested as methodic line by Warren T. Reich, of the paradigm of the principles with the other paradigms of the bioethics: the experience, the care, the virtue. The first moment is to consider the euthanasia as the object of a question that comes from the suffering and that, as such, it must be welcomed and interpreted in a context of relationship. Unlike the suicide there is not here a killing oneself, but an asking other for death. The ethical attention must be moved from the exclusive center of autonomy to the relationship, particularly on the complexity and the contradictions that mark the physician-patient relationship between today. Even if it asks a limit “care”, paradoxical that cannot be given, or the aims of the medicine itself would be contradicted and overturned, the question of euthanasia cannot stay outstanding, but must be welcomed, opened again with the attention that the paradigm of care imposes, with the humanitas that the paradigm of virtue delivers us. The ethical attention to the experience of whom asks the death it becomes the first moment to find a conciliation among apparently antithetical moments, as the sacredness and the quality of the life, to gather the complementarity among apparently antithetical rights as the right to be left alone and the right not to be left alone, to sustain together the liberation from the physical pain and the liberation from the pain of the soul. Moving the point of view from freedom to relationship the paper wants to point out the ethical impossibility to say yes to the euthanasia just on the side of the relationship, at the same time setting the accent not only on the responsibility that saying yes means, but also on the other responsibilities of which the question of euthanasia ask us: the responsibilities derived by the situation and the others concerning what to answer to the help request and care that the question subtends. In the way proper of the ethics of the care, the paper proposes not to solve the dilemma of the euthanasia abdicating to the life or to the liberty, but trying to redefine the context from which the dilemma has origin, in such way that it is possible to hold together life and liberty.


2017 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 91-98
Author(s):  
Vojislav Ivetić ◽  
Klemen Pašić ◽  
Polona Selič

Abstract Introduction Medically unexplained symptoms (MUS) are very common in family medicine, despite being a poorly-defined clinical entity. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of an educational intervention (EI) on self-rated quality of life, treatment satisfaction, and the family physician-patient relationship in patients with MUS. Methods In a multi-centre longitudinal intervention study, which was performed between 2012 and 2014, patients were asked to rate their quality of life, assess their depression, anxiety, stress and somatisation, complete the Hypochondriasis Index, the Medical Interview Satisfaction Scale and the Patient Enablement Instrument for assessing the physician-patient relationship, before and after the EI. Results The mean values before and after the intervention showed that after the EI, patients with MUS gave a lower (total) mean rating of their health issues and a higher rating of their quality of life, and they also had a more positive opinion of their relationship with the physician (p<0.05). However, there were no differences in the (total) rating of treatment satisfaction before and after the EI (p=0.423). Significant differences in the symptoms in patients with MUS before and after the intervention were confirmed for stress, somatisation and hypochondriasis (p<0.05). Conclusions It could be beneficial to equip family physicians with the knowledge, skills and tools to reduce hypochondriasis and somatisation in MUS patients, which would improve patients’ self-rated health status.


2001 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 255-259 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wendy E. Mouradian

A shift in emphasis from deficits to strengths to promote health and well-being in patients with congenital and acquired craniofacial conditions (CFC) is appropriate given the chronic, “incurable” nature of CFC. Personal narratives are a valuable starting point for discovering sources of resilience. This paper explores such a shift by considering two areas of ethical concern suggested by patient narratives: informed consent and the physician-patient relationship. Both areas contain pitfalls and opportunities. The powerful emotions these patients bring with them argue for caution in medical decision making. Attention to the individual's psychosocial adjustment should always supplement surgical evaluations. Because of the inequality of the physician-patient relationship, care should be taken to use this power in positive ways. The relationship between patient and surgeon is particularly charged and may be an important source of support, information, hope, and advice for patients. The changing health care system threatens the physician-patient relationship, but the rise of alternative medicine suggests patients continue to value relationships. Relationships are critical for individuals with CFC, who experience social rejection because of the fundamental importance of face in human interactions. Future research directions should include long-term outcome studies on patients receiving modern craniofacial team care, qualitative research on resilience in patients with positive life adjustment, and development of a conceptual framework and research methodology for understanding quality of life of individuals with CFC. An emphasis upon strengths rather than defects will have implications for the structure of craniofacial teams, the care that is provided, and allocation of resources.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Walle ◽  
Erkin Erdal ◽  
Leon Muehlsteffen ◽  
Hans Martin Singh ◽  
Editha Gnutzmann ◽  
...  

Background: Mobile phone video call applications generally did not undergo testing in randomized controlled clinical trials prior to their implementation in patient care regarding the rate of successful patient visits and impact on the physician-patient relationship. Methods: The NCT MOBILE trial was a monocentric open-label randomized controlled clinical trial of patients with solid tumors undergoing systemic cancer therapy with need of a follow-up visit with their consulting physician at outpatient clinics. 66 patients were 1:1 randomized to receive either a standard in-person follow-up visit at outpatient clinics or a video call via a mobile phone application. The primary outcome was feasibility defined as the number of successful appointments at the first follow up visit. Secondary outcomes included success rate of further video calls, time spent by patient and physician, patient satisfaction, and quality of physician-patient relationship. Findings: Success rate of the first follow up visit in the intention-to-treat cohort was 87.8% for in-person visits and 78.7% for video calls (p=0.51, RR=0.88-1.43 95%CI). The most common reasons for failure were software incompatibility (12%) in the video call and no-show (6%) in the in-person visit arm. The success rate for further video visits was 91.6% (11 of 12 calls). Standardized patient questionnaires showed significantly decreased total time spent and less direct costs for patients (95 to 246min 95%CI, & 4.8 to 23.9 Euro 95%CI) and comparable time spent for physicians in the video call arm (-6.4 to 5.4min 95%CI). Doctor-patient relationship quality mean scores assessed by the validated standardized 'questionnaire on quality of physician-patient interaction' (QQPPI) were higher in the video call arm (video call/in-person = 1.12 fold, p=0.02). Interpretation: Follow-up visits with the tested mobile phone video call application were feasible but software compatibility should be critically evaluated. Trial registration: Retrospectively registered in the German Clinical Trials Register DRKS00015788, 26th October 2018


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