Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29847552›Full record

ArticlePloS one2018

Internists' dilemmas in their interactions with chronically ill patients; A comparison of their interaction strategies and dilemmas in two different medical contexts.

Nicolien M H Kromme, Kees T B Ahaus, Reinold O B Gans, Harry B M van de Wiel

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing 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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
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

4 authors.

Nicolien M H KrommeUniversity of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, SectorA Chronic and Vascular Disease, Groningen, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0003-4979-9995
Kees T B AhausUniversity of Groningen, Faculty of Economics and Business, Centre of Expertise Healthwise, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Reinold O B GansUniversity of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Internal Medicine, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Harry B M van de WielUniversity of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Wenckebach Institute, Groningen, The Netherlands.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundInternists appear to define productive interactions, key concept of the Chronic Care Model, as goal-directed, catalyzed by achieving rapport, and depending on the medical context: i.e. medically explained symptoms (MES) or medically unexplained symptoms (MUS).

objectiveTo explore internists' interaction strategy discourses in the context of MES and MUS.

methodsWe interviewed twenty internists working in a Dutch academic hospital, identified relevant text fragments in the interview transcripts and analyzed the data based on a discourse analysis approach.

resultsWe identified four interaction strategy discourses: relating, structuring, exploring, and influencing. Each was characterized by a dilemma: relating by 'creating nearness versus keeping distance'; structuring by 'giving space versus taking control'; exploring by 'asking for physical versus psychosocial causes'; and influencing by 'taking responsibility versus accepting a patient's choice. The balance sought in these dilemmas depended on whether the patient's symptoms were medically explained or unexplained (MES or MUS). Towards MUS the internists tended to maintain greater distance, take more control, ask more cautiously questions related to psychosocial causes, and take less responsibility for shared decision making. DISCUSSION AND

conclusionsAdopting a basic distinction between MES and MUS, the internists in our study appeared to seek a different balance in each of four rather fundamental clinical dilemmas. Balancing these dilemmas seemed more difficult regarding MUS where the internists seemed more distancing and controlling, and tended to draw on their medical expertise. Moving in this direction is counterproductive and in contradiction to guidelines which emphasize that MUS patients warrant emotional support requiring a shift towards interpersonal, empathic communication.

Indexed as

Chronic DiseaseDecision MakingHealth Services Needs and DemandPhysician-Patient RelationsPhysiciansAdultCommunicationFemaleHumansMaleMedically Unexplained SymptomsMiddle AgedSurveys and QuestionnairesSymptom AssessmentTerminology as Topic

Identifiers

PMID29847552
PMCPMC5976145

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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.