Articles: patients.
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Support Care Cancer · Aug 2012
Self-care and end of life care--patients' and carers' experience a qualitative study utilising serial triangulated interviews.
This study aimed to understand patient and carer experiences of end of life care and to explore how patients care for themselves at the end of life in Scotland. ⋯ Self-care is important to this group of people. People receiving end of life care want to and are able to engage in research. The findings are timely and relevant to current changes in palliative care policy and practice.
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Eur J Public Health · Aug 2012
Comparative StudyHow do patients from eastern and western Germany compare with regard to their preferences for shared decision making?
Increasing emphasis is being placed on involving patients in decisions concerning their health. This shift towards more patient engagement by health professionals and towards more desire by patients for participation may be partly based on socio-political factors. ⋯ The cultural imprint (e.g. western vs. former communist society) seems to have a significant influence on patients' expectations and behaviour in the medical encounter. Health services providers need to be aware that health attitudes within the same health system might vary for historical and cultural reasons. The engagement of patients in medical decisions might not be susceptible to a 'one size fits all' approach; doctors should instead aim to accommodate the individual patient's desire for autonomy.
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Patients at risk of experiencing medicine-related problems do not always appear willing to participate in collaborative medication management services. Little is known about the psycho-social factors which motivate patients to participate in these services. The theory of motivated information management (TMIM) suggests that patients' willingness to participate may be motivated by their uncertainty and worry about their medicines. ⋯ Worry about medicines is a key factor in motivating participants to engage in medicines information-seeking. Older persons who rely heavily on heuristics appeared less likely to worry about their medicines and willing to participate in medication management services. Age-related reduction in the motivation to participate may have important implications for medication safety. Further examination of this effect is warranted because older persons are at greatest risk of medicine related problems.