Social science & medicine
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Social science & medicine · Dec 2005
Challenges and changes in spirituality among doctors who become patients.
Though spirituality can help patients cope with illness, several studies have suggested that physicians view spirituality differently than do patients. These issues have not been systematically investigated among doctors who become patients, and who may be able to shed critical light on this area. We interviewed fifty doctors from major urban US centers who had become patients due to serious illnesses about their experiences and views relating to religion and spirituality before and after diagnosis, and we explore the range of issues that emerged. ⋯ This study is the first that we know of to examine spirituality among physicians when they become patients. Obstacles to physicians' attentiveness to the potential role of spirituality arose that need to be further explored in medical education and future research. Increased awareness of these areas could potentially have clinical relevance, strengthening doctor-patient relationships and communication, and patient satisfaction.
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Social science & medicine · Dec 2005
Combined effects of uncertainty and organizational justice on employee health: testing the uncertainty management model of fairness judgments among Finnish public sector employees.
We examined whether the combination of uncertainty (lack of work-time control, and negative changes at work) and organizational justice (i.e., justice of decision-making procedures and interpersonal treatment at work) contributes to sickness absence. A total of 7083 male and 24,317 female Finnish public sector employees completed questionnaires designed to assess organizational justice, workload and other factors. Hierarchical regression showed that after adjustment for age, income, and health behaviors low procedural and interactional justice were related to long sickness absence spells. In accordance with the uncertainty management model, these associations were dependent on experienced work-time control and perceived changes at work.