The relationship between educational level and employment situation lead to think that if these variables are greater more people will seek professional support. Cultural reasons still maintain women as main caregivers for all educational levels. The existence of these informal caregivers as the main care providers is a saving for the State, and a brake for the development of professional supply.
SUMMARYThe 13 questions to which 173 rheumatic outpatients most frequently wished to know the answer were made the basis of a structured interview. Two lengths of interview were conducted in a controlled trial (short being of 2 minutes' duration, long ranging from 4 to 11 minutes). Sixty patients referred directly from their general practitioners, and not being in any of the remedial professions, were randomly assigned to one of the 2 groups. They were tested by an independent observer immediately after interview, and one month later at their return appointment, by means of a questionnaire that covered the 13 items of information given to all the patients. The longer interview resulted in significantly more information being retained. Of individual questions only 3 scored significantly better with the longer interview-that about the reasons forx-rays immediately after interview, and the role of heredity and the place of rest at delayed recall.In an era of high-technology medicine communication with the patient remains of the highest importance. A group of patients undergoing abdominal surgery were given details of the type of surgery and the pain they might suffer subsequently. Compared with a group given no information they required less morphine and half as much sedatives in the first 5 days after the operation, and were in hospital 3 days less.' Doctor-patient communication is particularly valuable when dealing with patients who have diseases for which there is no cure, which are chronic in their course, and which may cripple the patient.2 Written communications may reinforce the explanation and instructions given by the doctor, and we have investigated the value of booklets and leaflets for rheumatic patients.4`7 The first communication, however, will be verbal, and many patients are far from satisfied with what they are told in hospital.' A general practitioner in our research group has suggested that a short explanation is as useful as a long one for informing patients. Prolonged interviews are likely to confuse the patient and be counterproductive. This has profound implications in the running of a clinic. The present study ascertained what patients in a rheumatic clinic wanted to know, and whether they retained more after a long or a short interview.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.