Evidence map›Paper›PMID 16677391›Full record

ArticleBMC family practice2006

"I really should've gone to the doctor": older adults and family caregivers describe their experiences with community-acquired pneumonia.

Caralyn Kelly, Paul Krueger, Lynne Lohfeld, Mark Loeb, H Gayle Edward

Abstract readComparative Study
In one paragraph

Article in BMC family practice, 2006. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Infection in older adults: a qualitative study of patient experience.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2020
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Respiratory infections: a current and future threat.Respirology (Carlton, Vic.) · 2009
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Caralyn KellyDepartment of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada. cjkelly@linuxmail.org
Paul Krueger
Lynne Lohfeld
Mark Loeb
H Gayle Edward

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundResponding to acute illness symptoms can often be challenging for older adults. The primary objective of this study was to describe how community-dwelling older adults and their family members responded to symptoms of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP).

methodsA qualitative study that used face-to-face semi-structured interviews to collect data from a purposeful sample of seniors aged 60+ and their family members living in a mid-sized Canadian city. Data analysis began with descriptive and interpretive coding, then advanced as the research team repeatedly compared emerging thematic categories to the raw data. Searches for disconfirming evidence and member checking through focus groups provided additional data and helped ensure rigour.

resultsCommunity-acquired pneumonia symptoms varied greatly among older adults, making decisions to seek care difficult for them and their family members. Both groups took varying amounts of time as they attempted to sort out what was wrong and then determine how best to respond. Even after they concluded something was wrong, older adults with confirmed pneumonia continued to wait for days, to over a week, before seeking medical care. Participants provided diverse reasons for this delay, including fear, social obligations (work, family, leisure), and accessibility barriers (time, place, systemic). Several older adults and family members regretted their delays in seeking help.

conclusionTreatment-seeking delay is a variable, multi-phased decision-making process that incorporates symptom assessment plus psychosocial and situational factors. Public health and health care professionals need to educate older adults about the potential causes and consequences of unnecessary waits. Such efforts may reduce the severity of community-acquired pneumonia upon presentation at clinics and hospitals, and that, in turn, could potentially improve health outcomes.

Indexed as

AgedAged, 80 and overCaregiversCommunity-Acquired InfectionsDecision MakingFemaleFocus GroupsHealth Services for the AgedHospitalizationHumansInterviews as TopicMaleMiddle AgedOntarioPatient Acceptance of Health CarePneumonia

Identifiers

PMID16677391
PMCPMC1468411

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.