Background The aim of this study was to provide recommendations for reducing the impact of hepatitis B infection on patients with chronic hepatitis B by describing their experiences during the diagnosis process. Methods We conducted face-to-face interviews with 50 hepatitis B patients recruited by convenient sampling from an infectious diseases department of a teaching hospital in Chongqing, China from July to August 2019. Thematic analysis framework included interviewees’ social demographic characteristics, diagnosis approach, signs and symptoms before diagnosis, feelings after diagnosis, and doctor’s instructions. Results Most patients first detected hepatitis B through various types of physical examinations when the patients were asymptomatic or had only mild symptoms. Most patients were shocked, scared, or overwhelmed when they were diagnosed with hepatitis B. They were able to remember the doctor’s instructions about maintaining a healthy lifestyle, but not impressed by the doctor’s advice about regular follow-up liver function tests. The lack of regular follow-up has caused irreversible damage to some patients. Conclusions Most patients are passively diagnosed with hepatitis B due to their lack of awareness on active hepatitis B prevention. Patients need professional mental health care to overcome the negative emotions that following the diagnosis. Physicians’ instruction should emphasize the importance of regular follow-up liver function tests in addition to a healthy lifestyle.
Objective: To identify the obstacles preventing and controlling hepatitis B and put forward suggestions for its prevention and treatment by describing the discovery process of hepatitis B patients. Methods: We conducted face-to-face interviews with 50 hepatitis B patients in Chongqing, China from July to August 2019 by constructing a thematic analysis framework, which included interviewees’ social demographic characteristics, diagnosis approach, signs and symptoms at the time of discovery, feelings after diagnosis, and doctor’s instructions.Results: Most of the patients were firstly found hepatitis B via physical examination when patients were asymptomatic or had no obvious symptoms. The majority of them were shocked, frightened, and at a loss when they were diagnosed. The patients could remember doctor’s instructions on keeping healthy lifestyle, but they had very little impression about doctors’ reminding about regular liver function test. Failure of regular follow-up to liver function test brought irreversible loss for certain patients.Conclusions: Most of the patients were found hepatitis B passively. The patients need professional mental help after the diagnosis to overcome the negative emotion. The doctors’ instruction should emphasize more on the importance of regular follow-up to liver function test besides health lifestyle.
Background: Improving health literacy is the key to chronic disease prevention and improved interventions. However, little is known about the status of health literacy and its influencing factors in patients with chronic diseases. Accordingly, this study aimed to explore the different aspects and factors influencing health literacy among patients with chronic diseases in Chongqing, China.Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in areas of Chongqing using the 2018 National Questionnaire on Health Literacy of Residents administered to 27,336 patients with chronic diseases.The research investigated the prevalence and factors of health literacy in patients with chronic diseases in Chongqing, China using χ 2 tests and logistic regression analysis.Results: Among the participants (n = 27,336), 51.3% were males and 48.7% were females. Only a small number of patients with chronic diseases were health literate (21.6%). Regression analyses indicated that inadequate health literacy was associated with rural area residents (OR: 0.92), minorities (OR: 1.31), farmers (OR: 1.18), nonlocal registered permanent residents (OR: 1.05), and patients with self-rated unhealthy status (OR: 1.80). Patients with chronic diseases aged 25-34 (OR = 1.18) and 35-44 (OR = 1.18) were more likely to have health literacy than patients with chronic diseases aged 65-69. Illiterate or slightly literate patients (OR = 0.10) were less likely to have health literacy than patients who were in the junior college or had a bachelor's degree or above. Patients with an average annual household income of less than 3,000 yuan (OR = 0.65) were all less likely to have health literacy than patients with an average annual household income of more than 15,000 yuan. Conclusions: Health literacy of patients with chronic conditions remains at a low level and variessignificantly with their demographic and sociological characteristics. Therefore, developing and adopting appropriate health promotion programs would be necessary to improve the health literacy of all patients with different types of chronic diseases. diseases usually include heart diseases, stroke, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes [1].Chronic diseases account for the increasing numbers of deaths worldwide [2] and have overtaken infectious diseases as the leading cause of mortality worldwide [3]. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that 63% of all deaths are due to chronic diseases [1]. Premature mortality caused by chronic diseases accounts for 80% and is concentrated in low-and middle-income countries [3]. In China, chronic diseases have become the main cause of death among Chinese residents, and the prevalence rate is on the rise. From 2003 to 2013, the growth rate of chronic diseases among rural residents was 70.7% and that of urban residents was 28.3% according to the number of patients [4].In 2012, the number of deaths caused by chronic diseases among Chinese residents accounted for 86.6% of all deaths [5]. In addition, chronic diseases were difficult to cure, conseque...
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