Pakikisama: Filipino Patient Perspectives on Health Care Access and Utilization.

PURPOSE: Filipinos have unique social determinants of health, cultural values, and beliefs that contribute to a higher prevalence of cardiovascular comorbidities such as hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia. We aimed to identify Filipino values, practices, and belief systems that influenced health care access and utilization. METHODS: We conducted 1-on-1 semistructured interviews with self-identified Filipino patients. Our qualitative study utilized a constant-comparative approach for data collection, thematic coding, and interpretive analysis. RESULTS: We interviewed 20 Filipinos in a remote rural community to assess structural and social challenges experienced when interacting with the health care system. Our results suggest that Filipinos regard culture and language as pillars of health access. Filipinos trust clinicians who exhibited positive tone and body language as well as relatable and understandable communication. These traits are features of Pakikisama, a Filipino trait/value of "comfortableness and getting along with others." Relatability and intercultural values familiarity increased Filipino trust in a health care clinician. Filipinos may lack understanding about how to navigate the US Health care system, which can dissuade access to care. CONCLUSIONS: For the Filipino community, culture and language are fundamental components of health access. Health care systems have the opportunity to both improve intercultural clinical training and increase representation among clinicians and support staff to improve care delivery and navigation of health services. Participants reported not routinely relying on health care navigators.

Friendship as Medicine.

Social isolation is a risk factor for many diseases and overall increased mortality. Alternatively human connection has been noted to lead to healthier lives and longevity. Medical clinicians need to be more aware of this condition and consider how to prescribe friendship. This is not just an issue for the elderly; many Americans are being ravaged by being alone. There are many organizations that we can refer our patients to in order to make connections. This lesson is one we as physicians need to embrace ourselves as loneliness during our busy days is affecting us too.

Cuestiones bioéticas involucradas en los Cuidados Paliativos: desde la perspectiva de los profesionales de la salud / Bioethical issues involved in Palliative Care: from the perspective of health professionals

Las cuestiones inherentes al final de la vida constituyen un inmenso desafío para los médicos, debido a la falta de educación formal en lo inherente a cuidados paliativos, y a que se entrelazan conceptos médicos, religiosos, legales y bioéticos en su abordaje. El objetivo de este estudio es identificar, desde la perspectiva de los profesionales de la salud, las cuestiones éticas involucradas en el proceso de atención de pacientes incluidos en cuidados paliativos. Para ello se llevó a cabo de una revisión de 10 artículos, en los cuales se observa la carencia de formación bioética y la aplicación inadecuada (o falta) en lo inherente a manejo adecuado de la información y la dificultad en su comunicación, toma de decisiones compartidas, respeto de la autonomía del paciente, verdad médica, limitación de esfuerzos terapéuticos (AU)

End-of-life issues constitute an immense challenge for physicians, due to the lack of formal education regarding palliative care, and the intertwining of medical, religious, legal, and bioethical concepts in their approach. The objective of this study is to identify, from the perspective of health professionals, the ethical issues involved in the care process for patients included in palliative care. For this, a review of 10 articles was carried out, in which the lack of bioethical training and the inadequate application (or lack) is observed in terms of the proper management of information and the difficulty in its communication, decision making shared, respect for patient autonomy, medical truth, limitation of therapeutic efforts (AU)

Doctor sahab: Doctors and the public in the 'golden era' of the Indian medical profession.

This essay analyses and historicises a contemporary dominant narrative among India's biomedical doctors, that the early post-independence period (1940s-1970s) was characterised by immense public trust and confidence in the biomedical profession, with the patient-doctor relationship experiencing a 'golden era'. By exploring people's experiences with and perceptions of doctors during these decades, I show that contrary to contemporary understanding, public dissatisfaction with doctors was substantial even in the early post-independence period. I argue that the dominance of privileged-caste and -class Indians in the medical profession nurtured a caste privilege-based elitist outlook within the mainstream profession and its leadership and created an insurmountable socioeconomic distance between doctors and the large majority of the public. What doctors deemed as people's 'trust' in them and their profession was often simply a manifestation of people's general deference towards the elites of the society. This incorrect interpretation of patient-doctor dynamics in the past has been a constant feature of mainstream narratives around the doctor-society relationship in post-independence India and has remained largely under-explored and under-historicised in the medical, scholarly and public discourses.

Emotion recognition in doctor-patient interactions from real-world clinical video database: Initial development of artificial empathy.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The promising use of artificial intelligence (AI) to emulate human empathy may help a physician engage with a more empathic doctor-patient relationship. This study demonstrates the application of artificial empathy based on facial emotion recognition to evaluate doctor-patient relationships in clinical practice. METHODS: A prospective study used recorded video data of doctor-patient clinical encounters in dermatology outpatient clinics, Taipei Municipal Wanfang Hospital, and Taipei Medical University Hospital collected from March to December 2019. Two cameras recorded the facial expressions of four doctors and 348 adult patients during regular clinical practice. Facial emotion recognition was used to analyze the basic emotions of doctors and patients with a temporal resolution of 1 second. In addition, a physician-patient satisfaction questionnaire was administered after each clinical session, and two standard patients gave impartial feedback to avoid bias. RESULTS: Data from 326 clinical session videos showed that (1) Doctors expressed more emotions than patients (t [326] > = 2.998, p < = 0.003), including anger, happiness, disgust, and sadness; the only emotion that patients showed more than doctors was surprise (t [326] = -4.428, p < .001) (p < .001). (2) Patients felt happier during the latter half of the session (t [326] = -2.860, p = .005), indicating a good doctor-patient relationship. CONCLUSIONS: Artificial empathy can offer objective observations on how doctors' and patients' emotions change. With the ability to detect emotions in 3/4 view and profile images, artificial empathy could be an accessible evaluation tool to study doctor-patient relationships in practical clinical settings.

Do preventative care guidelines emphasize behaviour change? A content analysis of three commonly used Australian general practice guidelines.

RATIONALE: Preventive health is a core part of primary care clinical practice and it is critical for both disease prevention and reducing the consequences of chronic disease. In primary care, the 5As framework is often used to guide behaviour change consultations for smoking, nutrition, alcohol use and physical activity. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: Our objective was to analyze the emphasis placed on each 5As term in commonly used guidelines in Australian general practice and compare this to behaviour change terms/concepts essential to effective consultations. METHOD: A content analysis was undertaken to explore frequency of 5A terms and key behaviour change concepts/terms chapter-by-chapter across the three most commonly used guidelines in Australian general practice. RESULTS: The prevalence of each 5As term differed in all three guidelines, with 'Arrange' being mentioned the least often. Behaviour change concepts and terms, such as patient-centredness, listening, trust and tailoring, were infrequently used and were often confined to a separate chapter of the guidelines. CONCLUSION: The language and content of the guidelines contrast with known effective components of behaviour change consultations. Future revisions could reconsider emphasis of 5As terms to avoid paternalistic approaches, improve shared language across guidelines and incorporate behavioural science principles to enhance preventative care delivery.

Relational Continuity of Chronic Patients with Primary and Secondary Care Doctors: A Study of Public Healthcare Networks of Six Latin American Countries.

Despite relational continuity (RC) with the doctor being key to care quality for chronic patients, particularly in fragmented healthcare systems, like many in Latin America (LA), little is known about RC and its attributes, particularly regarding specialists. Aim: We aim to analyse chronic patients' perceptions of RC with primary (PC) and secondary (SC) care doctors, and record changes between 2015 and 2017 in the public healthcare networks of six LA countries. An analysis of two cross-sectional studies applying the CCAENA questionnaire to chronic patients (N = 4881) was conducted in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Uruguay. The dependent variables of RC with PC and SC doctors were: consistency, trust, effective communication, and synthetic indexes based on RC attributes. Descriptive and multivariate analyses were performed. Although the RC index was high in 2015, especially in PC in all countries, and at both levels in Argentina and Uruguay, low perceived consistency of PC and SC doctors in Colombia and Chile and of SC doctors in Mexico revealed important areas for improvement. In 2017 the RC index of SC doctors increased in Chile and Mexico, while SC doctors' consistency in Colombia decreased. This study reveals important gaps in achieving RC with doctors, particularly in SC, which requires further structural and organisational reforms.

Empowerment in naturopathy: A qualitative analysis of practitioner perspectives.

OBJECTIVE: This research aims to explore the role of empowerment in naturopathic consultations with patients with chronic pain. METHODS: Seven naturopaths were interviewed for up to 60 min online. A reflexive thematic analysis approach was used to code initial concepts. Through repeated immersion in the data, codes were clustered, refined and iteratively developed into overarching themes. RESULTS: Four major themes emerged from the data analysis: (i) establishing a therapeutic relationship, (ii) the therapeutic relationship as a mechanism for transformation, (iii) facilitating shared decision-making, and (iv) practitioner critical reflection. Participants identified that initial consultations were important for establishing rapport, identifying the causes of chronic pain, triggers of acute flare-ups and making sure the patient felt understood. Subsequent consultations focused on empowering patients through education, promotion of self-care and increasing self-awareness. Empowerment was manifest through all consultations by using active listening, education, and engagement with patients in a respectful manner that prioritised their treatment preferences in management plans. CONCLUSIONS: The findings highlight the central role of empowerment in naturopathic consultations with patients with chronic pain. Patients were supported to become active agents in decisions about their health care, consistent with person-centred models of care. This in turn promoted patient empowerment. Critical self-reflection on the part of practitioners was integral to their empowering approach. The combination of patient empowerment and critical self-reflection suggest that a framework of empowerment may be useful for advancing our understanding of naturopathy practice in Australia.

Políticas de saúde, confiança e afeto em narrativas de parto / Health policies, trust and affect in birth narratives / Políticas de salud, confianza y afecto en las narrativas de parto

Resumo O Programa de Humanização do Pré-Natal e do Nascimento (PHPN) foi instituído pelo Ministério da Saúde no Brasil em 2000, com o propósito de assegurar o respeito à mulher e ao bebê e diminuir práticas intervencionistas desnecessárias. No entanto, em narrativas de parto com mulheres usuárias do sistema privado de saúde no Rio de Janeiro, coletadas em 2016, houve pouca menção às diretrizes deste programa. A preocupação em encontrar um médico que realize parto normal e respeite as vontades da paciente está presente, mas o desenrolar do parto é entendido como confirmando ou não uma relação pessoalizada de confiança entre médico e paciente, e não como um conjunto de direitos que as parturientes têm e que os obstetras devem observar. Analiso então como este entendimento se manifesta através das categorias emotivas usadas nas narrativas.

Abstract The Prenatal and Birth Humanization Program was instituted by the Brazilian Health Ministry in 2000, aiming at ensuring respectful attention to women and babies and diminishing the use of unnecessary medical interventions. However, among women who had private health plans in Rio de Janeiro and who were interviewed in 2016, there were few mentions to this program's guidelines. They attempted to find obstetrician who perform normal births and respect women´s wishes, but they understood the development of birth as confirming or not a personalized trust relationship between doctor and patient, rather than resulting from rights that should be observed. Thus, I analyze how this understanding is revealed through the emotion categories used in the birth narratives.

Resumen El Programa de Humanización del Pré-Natal y del Nacimiento (PHPN) fue instituido por el Ministerio de Salud de Brasil en el año 2000, con el propósito de asegurar el respeto hacia las mujeres y hacia los bebés y reducir las prácticas intervencionistas innecesarias. Sin embargo, en los relatos de partos con mujeres usuarias del sistema privado de salud en Río de Janeiro, recopilados en 2016, se mencionaron poco las directrices de este programa. La preocupación por encontrar un médico que realice el parto normal y respete los deseos de la paciente está presente, pero el desarrollo del parto se entiende como la confirmación o no de una relación personalizada de confianza entre el médico y la paciente, y no como un conjunto de derechos que las gestantes en trabajo de parto tienen y que los obstetras deben observar. Analizo entonces cómo este entendimiento se manifiesta a través de las categorías emocionales utilizadas en las narraciones.

The informalization of doctor-patient relations in a Finnish setting: New social figurations and emergent possibilities.

This article features data drawn from interviews with doctors working in the Finnish occupational health-care system. These are used to explore the value of an Eliasian approach towards interpreting and assessing the moral meanings and social dynamics of relationships between health practitioners and their patients. We attend to spiralling 'formalizing' and 'informalizing' processes and how these are operating to reconfigure doctor-patient relationships. We document some of the ways in which Finnish doctors are adapting to these processes. While data drawn from a British context suggest both doctor and patients are inclined to adopt positions of mutual distrust and hostility, by contrast we note that in this Finnish setting more concerted attempts are being made to renegotiate social roles, cultural meanings and individual responsibilities. We propose that this can be taken as an instance where informalization is accompanied by revitalized currents of formalization and new syntheses of moral codes and conduct.

Médico como arquiteto da escolha: paternalismo e respeito à autonomia / Physicians as choice architects: paternalism and respect for autonomy / El médico como arquitecto de elección: paternalismo y respeto por la autonomía

Resumo A relação médico-paciente difere significativamente das demais interações sociais. Não por acaso, cresce expressivamente o número de estudos voltados exclusivamente à referida área. O fortalecimento da concepção de autonomia passou também a abranger a figura do paciente, com notória ampliação de sua esfera de participação e de influência na tomada de decisão em tratamentos e em procedimentos clínicos, mitigando aquela concepção exacerbadamente paternalista que recaía sobre a figura do profissional médico. Porém, daí insurge grave problemática: quais são os limites dessa autonomia? Acredita-se que a solução se encontra na ideia do paternalismo libertário, tese de Richard Thaler e Cass Sunstein, em que o médico atua como arquiteto da escolha do paciente. A partir do método hipotético-dedutivo, o objetivo do presente ensaio é verificar a possibilidade de adequar o método do paternalismo libertário à prática médica, mormente em relação aos hard cases , estabelecendo o alcance e os limites da autonomia do paciente.

Abstract The doctor-patient relationship differs significantly from other social interactions, and in the last years studies on this subject have grown significantly. The concept of autonomy now also encompasses patients, with notable expansion of their sphere of participation and influence in decision-making in treatments and clinical procedures, mitigating that overly paternalistic role of the physician. But this change poses a serious question: what are the limits of this autonomy? This article believes in the solution of libertarian paternalism, an idea proposed by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein, in which the doctor acts as a choice architect for the patient. Based on the hypothetico-deductive method, this study verifies the possibility of adapting libertarian paternalism to current medical practices, mainly in hard cases, establishing the scope and limits of patient autonomy.

Resumen La relación médico-paciente difiere significativamente de otras interacciones sociales. No es coincidencia que haya un aumento expresivo de estudios centrados exclusivamente en esta área. El fortalecimiento del concepto de autonomía ha abarcado también la figura del paciente, con una notable ampliación de su esfera de participación y influencia en las decisiones sobre tratamientos y procedimientos clínicos, mitigando la concepción extremadamente paternalista que recae en la figura del profesional médico. Sin embargo, esto plantea un problema grave: ¿dónde están los límites de esta autonomía? El artículo argumenta que la solución radica en la idea de paternalismo libertario propuesta por Richard Thaler y Cass Sunstein, según la cual el médico actuaría como el arquitecto de elección del paciente. Con base en el método hipotético-deductivo, el objetivo de este estudio fue verificar la posibilidad de adaptar la metodología del paternalismo libertario a la práctica médica, especialmente con relación a los casos difíciles ( hard cases ), para establecer el alcance y los límites de la autonomía del paciente.

Metastereotypes impairing doctor-patient relations: The roles of intergroup anxiety and patient trust.

This study examined whether patients' negative metastereotypes undermine their perception of doctor-patient relations through raising their intergroup anxiety and decreasing their trust level. One hundred twenty-four outpatients from a Chinese hospital participated in this study; they were randomly assigned to either the negative metastereotype activation (NMSA) or the non-NMSA condition according to different instructions. Then, they were asked to complete the Intergroup Anxiety, Patient Trust, and Doctor-Patient Relations Scale. Patients' negative metastereotypes undermined doctor-patient relations through the mediation of intergroup anxiety and patient trust (i.e., the independent mediation effect of intergroup anxiety and patient trust) and the serial mediation effect of intergroup anxiety and patient trust. These findings suggest that future research consider intergroup anxiety and patient trust in developing interventions to improve doctor-patient relations.

Desafios na comunicação entre homens e seus médicos de família / Communication challenges between men and family doctors / Desafíos en la comunicación entre hombres y sus médicos de familia

O artigo discute aspectos da comunicação na relação médico(a) + homem usuário no contexto de serviços com Estratégia de Saúde da Família (ESF). A presente pesquisa qualitativa foi realizada em três fases distintas e articuladas, com triangulação de técnicas (entrevistas semiestruturadas e grupos focais) e com homens usuários e médico(a)s de Família e Comunidade (MFC) em serviços de saúde em Florianópolis, SC, Brasil. As análises apontam que a busca por consulta é guiada por sintomas e/ou pressão de familiares e pela expectativa por exames que comprovem estarem saudáveis. O(a)s MFC incentivam o autocuidado sem efetivamente convencer os usuários. A troca frequente de médico(a) é um forte entrave para o vínculo e a comunicação. O estudo contribui para o debate sobre a relação médico(a) + pessoa em segmento da população reticente e pouco envolvido com o autocuidado e a prevenção. (AU)

This article discusses aspects of communication in the doctor-male patient relationship in the context of family health strategy services. A qualitative study was undertaken with family and community doctors (FCDs) in health services in Florianópolis, Brazil in three distinct stages using triangulation techniques (semi-structured interviews and focus groups). The findings show that seeking an appointment was guided by symptoms and/or family pressure and the expectation of receiving examination results that show that the patient is healthy. The FCDs encouraged self-care without effectively convincing the patients. The frequent change of doctors strongly hampered the creation of doctor-patient bonds and communication. This study contributes to the discussion about doctor-patient relationships in a segment of the population that is reticent and not very engaged in self-care and prevention. (AU)

El artículo discute aspectos de comunicación en la relación médico(a) + hombre usuario en el contexto de servicios con Estrategia de Salud de la Familia (ESF). Investigación cualitativa realizada en tres fases distintas y articuladas, con triangulación de técnicas (entrevistas semiestructuradas y grupos focales), con hombre usuarios y Médicos(as) de Familia y Comunidad (MFC) en servicios de salud en Florianópolis, Estado de Santa Catarina, Brasil. Los análisis señalan que la búsqueda de la consulta es dirigida por síntomas y/o presión de familiares y por la expectativa de realización de análisis que demuestren que están saludables. Los(las) MFCs incentivan el autocuidado, sin efectivamente convencer a los usuarios. El cambio frecuente de médico(a) es un fuerte obstáculo para el vínculo y la comunicación. El estudio contribuyó para el debate sobre la relación médico(a)+persona en un segmento de la población reticente y poco involucrado en el autocuidado y la prevención. (AU)

"It Sometimes Doesn't Even Work": Patient Opioid Assessments as Clues to Therapeutic Flexibility in Primary Care.

BACKGROUND: Physicians' fear of difficult patient interactions is an important barrier to discontinuing long-term opioid therapy. OBJECTIVE: To identify patient statements about opioids that indicate potential openness to tapering opioids or trying non-opioid pain treatments DESIGN: This is an observational study of regularly scheduled primary care visits involving discussion of chronic pain management. A coding system to characterize patient assessments about opioids, physician responses to assessments, and patient-endorsed opioid side effects was developed and applied to transcripts of video-recorded visits. All visits were independently coded by 2 authors. PARTICIPANTS: Eighty-six established adult patients taking opioids for chronic pain; 49 physicians in 2 academic primary care clinics MAIN MEASURES: Frequency and topic of patients' opioid assessments; proportion of opioid assessments classified as clues (assessments indicating potential willingness to consider non-opioid pain treatments or lower opioid doses); physician responses to patient clues; frequency and type of patient-endorsed side effects KEY RESULTS: Patients made a mean of 3.2 opioid assessments (median 2) per visit. The most common assessment topics were pain relief (51%), effect on function (21%), and opioid safety (14%). Forty-seven percent of opioid assessments (mean 1.5 per visit) were classified as clues. Fifty-three percent of visits included ≥ 1 clue; 21% of visits contained ≥ 3 clues. Physicians responded to patient clues with no/minimal response 43% of the time, sympathetic/empathetic statements 14% of the time, and further explored clues 43% of the time. Fifty-eight percent of patients endorsed ≥ 1 opioid-related side effect; 10% endorsed ≥ 3 side effects. The most commonly endorsed side effects were constipation (15% of patients), sedation (15%), withdrawal symptoms (13%), and nausea (12%). CONCLUSIONS: Patient statements suggesting openness to non-opioid pain treatments or lower opioid doses are common during routine primary care visits. Listening for and exploring these clues may be a patient-centered strategy for broaching difficult topics with patients on long-term opioid therapy.

Use of an Ambulatory Patient Portal for Advance Care Planning Engagement.

BACKGROUND: Primary care clinics need sustainable, population-based approaches to engage patients in advance care planning (ACP). Patient portal-based ACP tools may provide an option for patient engagement. OBJECTIVE: To increase ACP outcomes by engaging older adults through portal-based ACP tools, including an electronic Medical Durable Power of Attorney (MDPOA) form. METHODS: Geriatric clinic pilot of a multi-modal population-based outreach strategy for portal-based ACP tools. Outreach was to patients (n = 105) who were 65 years and older with an active portal account, no cognitive impairment, and no MDPOA on file. Patients received a motivational message via the portal and, if not read within 2 weeks, a mailed postcard about the portal-based ACP tools. Primary outcome was composite of any ACP action at 1-year including 1) new advance directive (AD) in the electronic health record, 2) use of portal-based ACP tools, or 3) documented ACP discussion with a provider. RESULTS: Sixty-five older adults read the electronic message at 12 months. Seventeen (16%) engaged in at least 1 ACP action. Fourteen of 17 engaged by adding an AD to their record. More patients completed an AD on article or brought a previously completed AD to clinic, compared with choosing to complete an electronic MDPOA via the portal. CONCLUSIONS: Brief motivational messages about ACP via a patient portal is feasible and may increase ACP outcomes for older adults in primary care. Future studies should evaluate population-based portal outreach strategies in combination with team-based workflows to enhance patient engagement in ACP.

Relaciones médico-paciente en instituciones prestadoras de servicios de salud en Medellín, Colombia / Doctor-Patient relationship in healthcare institutions of Medellin, Colombia

RESUMEN Objetivo Comprender las percepciones que tienen médicos y pacientes sobre sus relaciones y cómo las condiciones actuales del Sistema General de Seguridad Social en Salud (SGSSS) influyen en su relacionamiento. Materiales y Métodos La recolección y análisis de información se basó en el principio de saturación que propone la investigación cualitativa, mediante entrevistas semiestructuradas aplicadas a 17 pacientes y 15 médicos durante el ejercicio de sus roles, en el ambiente de la espera y la consulta en cinco IPS seleccionadas. Las entrevistas fueron grabadas, trascritas y analizadas bajo los preceptos de la Teoría Fundamentada de Corbin y Strauss. El diseño muestral fue teórico por conveniencia. Resultados Las condiciones del SGSSS sobre el hacer del médico, el abuso del derecho por parte de algunos pacientes y la percepción de calidad desigual entre Entidades Administradores de Planes de Beneficios (EAPB), así como las fallas de comunicación en las Relaciones Médico-Paciente (RMP), el desprestigio de los médicos generales, la percepción de incredulidad hacia médicos jóvenes, entre otras percepciones identificadas dejan entrever que los cambios en el SGSSS contribuyen en la construcción de las RMP actuales. Conclusiones Es fundamental que los actores del SGSSS propongan intervenciones que refuercen en los médicos capacidades comunicativas y psicosociales desde sus procesos de formación profesional, además de la disposición del SGSSS para proveer condiciones que permitan al médico desarrollar una atención en salud centrada en el paciente.(AU)

ABSTRACT Objective To understand the perceptions that doctors and patients have about their relationships and how the current conditions of the General System of Social Security in Health (GSSSH) influence their relationship. Materials and Methods The collection and analysis of information was based on the saturation principle proposed by qualitative research, through direct observation and semi-structured interviews applied to 17 patients and 15 physicians during the exercise of their roles, in the waiting and consultation environment within the selected healthcare institutions. The interviews recorded, transcribed and analyzed under five precepts of the Grounded Theory of Corbin and Strauss. The sample design was theoretical for convenience. Results Health system conditions on the doctor's doing, abuse of the right by some patients, the perception of uneven quality between health care promotion entities, communication failures in the Doctor-Patient Relationships, loss of prestige of the general doctors, perception of disbelief towards young doctors, among other identified perceptions, hint that changes in the GSSSH contribute to the construction of current Doctor-Patient Relationships. Conclusions It is essential that the actors of the GSSSH propose interventions that reinforce the communicative and psychosocial capacities in the doctors from their formative processes, as well as the provision of the GSSSH to provide conditions that allow the doctor to develop a health care focused on the patient.(AU)

More Information = Less Aggression? Impact of Information Asymmetry on Chinese Patients' Aggression.

Background: Information asymmetry is a widely studied economic phenomenon. It refers to the situation in which one group in a transaction has more information than the other. Nowadays, information asymmetry has been studied not only as a financial topic but also as a potential reason for essential social problems. Objective: To take Chinese doctor-patient relationship as an example and investigate the relationship among information asymmetry, trust level, and aggression behavior using an experimental design. Methods: A total of 44 undergraduates (information asymmetry group, N = 22, 5 males, 17 females, mean age = 18.95, SD = 0.18; information symmetry group, N = 22, 7 males, 15 females, mean age = 19.27, SD = 0.18) took part in our experiment. Different slides and guidance were used to create a virtual information asymmetry situation, and we use the Wake Forest Physician Trust Scale (WFPTS) and the hot sauce allocation paradigm to measure their trust level and aggression, respectively. Results: Participants in the information asymmetry group allocated significantly more hot sauce to the doctor (p <.005, d = 1.09) and displayed significantly lower trust level (p < 0.05, d = -0.78) than the control group. Patients' trust level had a significant mediating effect (95% confidence interval [-1.39, -0.05]). Conclusion: Asymmetric information may arouse patients' aggression and lower their trust in doctors. Patients' trust level is also a significant partial mediator between their aggression and information asymmetry. The current study reinforces the urgent need for information openness in the Chinese medical system.

Invited Response on: Body Dysmorphic Disorder: There is an "Ideal" Strategy?

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) has been considered the most relevant neuropsychiatric condition to cosmetic treatments. Patients' ideal expectations often exceed what is expected to be achieved in reality by plastic surgery, signaling the presence of BDD. It is fundamental to detect BDD symptoms during screening for cosmetic surgery. A secondary concern with physical appearance may be one of the most important parameters to be detected during patient assessment, as it may interfere with overall patient satisfaction following treatment. A good doctor-patient relationship is essential for detecting this psychopathology. Mild-to-moderate BDD is not an exclusion criterion for cosmetic surgery, but specific treatment planning and a multidisciplinary approach are required. Recent studies have presented preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of cosmetic procedures in reducing BDD symptoms and providing patient satisfaction with treatment results. The use of validated instruments at pre- and postoperative assessments to systematically evaluate the patient's level of distress with the physical appearance and patient satisfaction with treatment results will provide important information for the development of more sensitive validated tools for detection of severe levels of BDD symptoms to help plastic surgeons in the selection of patients in a more effective and practical manner.Level of Evidence V This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Outpatient communication patterns in a cancer hospital in China: A qualitative study of doctor-patient encounters.

OBJECTIVE: The paper characterizes outpatient communication in a major cancer hospital in southern China with regard to the structure, style and focus of doctor-patient communication. METHOD: Fifty-one encounters between doctors and patients were recorded in the outpatient department of the cancer hospital and analysed inductively to identify patterns of doctor-patient outpatient communication. RESULTS: Outpatient communication in the cancer hospital is characterized by structuralized conversation, doctor domination of the conversation and a focus on technology during communication. These characteristics suggest an extreme inequality of power between Chinese doctors and patients at the individual level. They are also shaped by the institutional environment of Chinese hospitals. DISCUSSION: Measures should be taken at both the interpersonal and institutional level to improve doctor-patient communication. At the micro-interpersonal level, public education and professional skills training are needed to improve communication and promote mutual understanding between patients and doctors. At the macro-institutional level, changes are needed in terms of transforming the structural factors that shape doctor-patient communication. CONCLUSIONS: Structuralized conversation, doctor domination of the conversation and a focus on technology during outpatient encounters present challenges to effective doctor-patient communication. These patterns are shaped by the institutional environment of Chinese hospitals and suggest the extreme power imbalance between Chinese doctors and patients.