Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37479247›Full record

ArticleBJGP open2023

Doctors' experiences when treating doctor-patients: a scoping review.

Claire J Hutton, Margaret Kay, Penny Round, Chris Barton

Open access · goldAbstract readScoping Review
In one paragraph

Article in BJGP open, 2023. 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
1.3field-weighted citation impact, top 18% of its field
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, 3 citations in OpenAlex.

  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 at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Claire J HuttonDepartment of General Practice, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia claire.hutton1@monash.edu.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1895-8095
Margaret KayGeneral Practice Clinical Unit, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
Penny RoundSchool of Curriculum Teaching and Inclusive Education, Faculty of Education, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9638-6144
Chris BartonDepartment of General Practice, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
General Department of Preventive Medicine · VNMonash University · AUThe University of Queensland · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTo work effectively, doctors need to look after themselves. They often delay seeking medical care for a range of reasons. Once they do, there is evidence that the doctors treating them ('treating doctors') can struggle to provide optimal care.

aimTo examine existing literature on what is currently known about experiences for treating doctors, in particular GPs, when their patient is also a doctor. DESIGN &

settingA scoping review of articles written in English.

methodUsing the JBI methodological framework for scoping reviews, five databases (MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL [Cumulative Index to Nursing & Allied Health], Google Scholar, and Scopus) were searched from the database start date until 31 December 2022. Qualitative and quantitative studies reporting the treating doctor's experience, guidelines for treating doctors, expert opinion articles, and editorials were included. Grey literature was considered, searching the first 10 pages of two Google searches.

resultsForty-eight articles from eight countries met inclusion criteria, of which 12 were research studies. The main areas of focus were as follows: affective responses, which included anxiety about being criticised, concern about upsetting the doctor-patient, and discomfort regarding the acknowledgement that doctors get sick; relational factors, which included boundary issues, over-identifying with the doctor-patient, treating them as a colleague rather than a patient, and role ambiguity; confidentiality, which incorporated both affective and relational aspects; and influence of medical culture and socialisation on dynamics between treating doctor and doctor-patient. These findings have been distilled into a list of key suggestions for the treating doctor.

conclusionDoctors can find treating doctor-patients anxiety-provoking and challenging. The sources of this discomfort are multifaceted, and more empirical research is needed to better understand and address the complex relationship between treating doctor and doctor-patient.

Indexed as

general practitionersphysician–patient relationsphysicians, familyphysicians, practice patternsphysician’s role

Identifiers

PMID37479247
PMCPMC11176679
OpenAlexW4385064608

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.