Related Articles

Abstract

Objective

To explore FPs’ perspectives on the value of personal health records (PHRs) in primary care and the implementation and adoption of PHRs in Canada.

Design

A qualitative design using semistructured interviews.

Setting

Southwestern Ontario.

Participants

Ten FPs.

Methods

The 10 FPs participated in semistructured interviews, which were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. An iterative approach using immersion and crystallization was employed for analysis.

Main findings

Participants were generally positive about PHRs, and were attracted to their portability and potential to engage patients in health care. Their concerns focused on 3 main themes: data management, practice management, and the patient-physician relationship. Subthemes included security, privacy, reliability of data, workload, remuneration, physician obligations, patient misinterpretation of medical information, and electronic communication displacing face-to-face visits. Participants identified 3 key facilitators for adoption of PHR systems: integration with existing electronic health record systems, ease of use without being a burden on either time or money, and offering a demonstrated added value to family practice.

Conclusion

This study replicates previously published literature about FP concerns and opinions, and it further identifies remuneration as a potential barrier in Canadian fee-for-service payment models. Participants identified 3 key facilitators, which were suggested for implementation and adoption of PHRs, providing a basis for future research and development of these systems for use in Canadian family practice.

OBJECTIVE

To explore with seniors what influences their choice of medication for osteoarthritis.

DESIGN

Qualitative study using semistructured in-depth interviews.

SETTING

Interviews were conducted in patients’ homes in two cities in Nova Scotia.

PARTICIPANTS

Seniors with a physician-confirmed diagnosis of osteoarthritis.

METHOD

Interviews were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. A grounded-theory approach was used. Key words and phrases were identified independently by all members of the research team who then collectively grouped the data into conceptual categories.

MAIN FINDINGS

Four themes emerged from discussions about medication choices: the role of family physicians in influencing use of cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors, the effect of fear of making medication choices, the reasons for discontinuing cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors, and views on other information sources. Distribution of free samples, family physicians’ recommendations, and fear of side effects influenced seniors’ choices of osteoarthritis medications. They claimed not to be influenced by direct-to-consumer advertising or the fact that cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors are more expensive than other classes of drugs for osteoarthritis.

CONCLUSION

Because seniors’ choice of medications for osteoarthritis is often influenced by physicians’ recommendations and distribution of free samples, further research into how distribution of free samples affects medication choices in family practice is needed.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate whether family physicians thought they could use cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) in their practices, and if so, how, and to discover what the barriers to implementation might be.

DESIGN

Qualitative study using taped interviews.

SETTING

British Columbia and Ontario.

PARTICIPANTS

Physicians practising family medicine in a variety of settings who attended an educational session on CBT.

METHOD

Six months after participating in a 5-hour seminar on CBT, consenting physicians were interviewed to determine their experiences with using CBT in their practices. The interviews used a semistructured guide and were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. The constant comparative method of data analysis was used to identify key words and themes.

MAIN FINDINGS

Most participants (34 of 42) reported using elements of CBT in their practices. Barriers mentioned by physicians to offering CBT to patients were lack of time, practice distractions and interruptions, and the perception that some patients were not good candidates for CBT. Barriers to patients’ accepting or using CBT were preferences for pharmacotherapy and lack of motivation or interest. Physicians could overcome some barriers by using CBT’s structure; this reduced the amount of in-office time required and helped them cope with interruptions. They selected specific CBT methods that fit their practices and patients.

CONCLUSION

Most participants saw CBT as a useful part of practice and reported implementing it successfully. There were, however, barriers to implementation in primary care. These barriers need to be addressed if CBT is to be taught to primary care physicians and offered in their practices.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE

To examine the experiences of women physicians with regard to the interplay between career and lifestyle choices and to discover how women’s experiences have evolved during the past 3 decades.

DESIGN

Qualitative study using a phenomenologic approach and in-depth interviews.

SETTING

Southwestern Ontario.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 12 women physicians.

METHOD

A purposeful sample of women physicians was selected using a maximum variation sampling strategy. Through semistructured interviews, participants’ experiences, opinions, behaviour, and feelings were explored. All interviews were audiotaped and transcribed. The analysis strategy was both iterative and interpretive. Researchers independently reviewed and coded each transcript to identify key emerging themes, and the research team met to discuss and compare individual interpretations. Interviews continued until saturation was achieved.

MAIN FINDINGS

Three main challenges emerged from the women physicians’ comments: lifestyle and career choices, family planning and career trajectory, and seeking balance.

CONCLUSION

Despite the increased number of women physicians in the work force, the experiences and challenges faced by these women have not evolved during the past 30 years. Women continue to experience the strain of their dual role as women and as physicians, discordance between career and lifestyle choices, and difficulties with timing pregnancies. Some changes in legislation have been made to benefit women physicians, but these changes have not yet influenced attitudes and behaviour in the workplace.

Abstract

Objective

To identify the health-related needs of community-dwelling older adults with mild memory loss.

Design

Qualitative study using semistructured, audiotaped, face-to-face interviews and focus groups.

Setting

A large community in Newfoundland.

Participants

Twenty-two adults between the ages of 58 and 80 years.

Methods

This needs assessment used a qualitative methodology of collecting and analyzing narrative data to develop an understanding of the issues, resources, and constraints of community-dwelling older adults with mild memory loss. Data were collected through semistructured, audiotaped, face-to-face interviews and focus groups. Transcripts of the interviews were analyzed using interpretive phenomenologic analysis.

Main findings

Three constitutive patterns with relational themes and subthemes were identified: forgetting and remembering, normalizing yet questioning, and having limited knowledge of resources. Participants described many examples of how their daily lives were affected by forgetfulness. They had very little knowledge of resources that provided information or support. Most of the participants believed they could not discuss their memory problems with their family doctors.

Conclusion

It is important for older adults with mild memory loss to have access to resources that will assist them in understanding their condition and make them feel supported.

Background

Many complex and subtle aspects relating to mothers and food choice are not well understood. Mothers play a primary role in their children's food choices, but research has not specifically examined how matrilineal family members who do not reside in the same household, such as a mother's mother, aunt, or grandmother, influence the current family's food choices.

Methods

Seven participants were recruited from the Household Food Inventory (HFI) Study in the Bryan/College Station, Texas. All participants completed an in-depth interview, photographed food-related activities, and discussed photographs in a follow-up in-depth interview. Interviews were transcribed verbatim from audio recordings. Transcripts were analyzed using several qualitative approaches including grounded theory to identify themes and subthemes.

Results

Participants discussed the following themes relating to the influence of their mother or other female relation (Mom) on their families' food choices: Relationship with Mom, Just like Mom, 'Kinda' like Mom, Different than Mom, and Mom's Influence on Children's Food Choices. Overall, participants used the photographs to illustrate how they were similar or different to their mothers, or other female family member, as well as how their mothers either supported or undermined control over their children's food choices. The "Mom effect" or matrilineal influence of mothers, aunts, and grandmothers on a mother's food choices was omnipresent, even though Mom was no longer living with the participants.

Conclusions

We found a matrilineal influence to have a residual and persistent influence on a family's food choices. This finding may be helpful for understanding the contextual elements of food choice and explaining why it is sometimes difficult to change mothers' food habits.

Purpose:

In previous research, the motivation of massage therapy students was observed to change between commencement of their professional studies and entry into practice. The change involved a decrease in intrinsic motivation (associated with altruism) and an increase in extrinsic motivation (associated with the prospect of external rewards). This paper reports on the influences underlying those changes.

Methods:

The research used a qualitative design in which data were collected during a series of individual in-depth semi-structured interviews with massage therapy graduates, just after completion of a 2-year (2200-hour) full-time program. After informed consent was obtained, interviews were taped, transcribed, and analyzed, resulting in identification of a number of themes and subthemes.

Results:

Previously noted changes in student motivation involved an increase in the influence of extrinsic rewards and a decrease in motivation related to helping and working with people. The findings of the present study suggest that these changes are explained by two main themes, each with a number of subthemes. The first theme, The Reality of Life in Practice, is associated with two subthemes: Debt Load, and Effectiveness in Achieving Positive Health Outcomes. The second theme, An Evolving Self-Image As a Health Care Professional, is associated with three sub-themes: Rigor/Intensity of the Educational Program, Developing Perspective of Massage Therapy As a Career, and Interaction with Faculty.

Conclusions:

The data suggest that the change in motivation noted in previous work (increased extrinsic motivation and decreased intrinsic motivation) is influenced in different ways by each identified theme. Although schools must be vigilant in ensuring that their programs support the humanistic mission of health care, the present study indicates that the change in motivation noted in earlier work is not sinister. Rather, it appears to be related to the development of a realistic perspective of life as a health care practitioner, which departs from the more naïve expectations of students when they commence their professional studies.

OBJECTIVE: To explore roles of family physicians and family practice nurses who provided care to Kosovar refugees at Greenwood, NS. DESIGN: Qualitative study based on individual interviews with family physicians and family practice nurses. SETTING: Family practices in Halifax, NS. PARTICIPANTS: Six family practice nurses, four physician faculty members, four community-based family physicians, and two family medicine residents were interviewed. Participants were purposefully chosen from the roster of service providers. METHOD: All interviews were conducted by one of the researchers and were semistructured. Interviews lasted approximately 30 minutes and were immediately transcribed. Key words and phrases were identified and compared with subsequent interviews until saturation was achieved. MAIN FINDINGS: Data yielded four analytical categories: the clinical encounter, expectation and experience, role and team functioning, and response. Participants reported how providing care in the context of a refugee camp was both similar to and different from their daily activities in family practice, as were their working relationships with other health care professionals. CONCLUSION: Primary care for refugees during complex health emergencies is often underreported in the literature. Yet family practice physicians and nurses recounted that they had the requisite skills to provide care in such a context.

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ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE

To explore the dimensions of family physician resilience.

DESIGN

Qualitative study using in-depth interviews with family physician peers.

SETTING

Hamilton, Ont.

PARTICIPANTS

Purposive sample of 17 family physicians.

METHOD

An iterative process of face-to-face, in-depth interviews that were audiotaped and transcribed. The research team independently reviewed each interview for emergent themes with consensus reached through discussion and comparison. Themes were grouped into conceptual categories.

MAIN FINDINGS

Four main aspects of physician resilience were identified: 1) attitudes and perspectives, which include valuing the physician role, maintaining interest, developing self-awareness, and accepting personal limitations; 2) balance and prioritization, which include setting limits, taking effective approaches to continuing professional development, and honouring the self;3) practice management style, which includes sound business management, having good staff, and using effective practice arrangements; and 4) supportive relations, which include positive personal relationships, effective professional relationships, and good communication.

CONCLUSION

Resilience is a dynamic, evolving process of positive attitudes and effective strategies.

OBJECTIVE

To determine what factors enable or impede women in a Canadian family medicine residency program from combining motherhood with residency training. To determine how policies can support these women, given that in recent decades the number of female family medicine residents has increased.

DESIGN

Qualitative study using in-person interviews.

SETTING

McMaster University Family Medicine Residency Program.

PARTICIPANTS

Twenty-one of 27 family medicine residents taking maternity leave between 1994 and 1999.

METHOD

Semistructured interviews. The research team reviewed transcripts of audiotaped interviews for emerging themes; consensus was reached on content and meaning. NVIVO software was used for data analysis.

MAIN FINDINGS

Long hours, unpredictable work demands, guilt because absences from work increase workload for colleagues, and residents’ high expectations of themselves cause pregnant residents severe stress. This stress continues upon return to work; finding adequate child care is an added stress. Residents report receiving less support from colleagues and supervisors upon return to work; they associate this with no longer being visibly pregnant. Physically demanding training rotations put additional strain on pregnant residents and those newly returned to work. Flexibility in scheduling rotations can help accommodate needs at home. Providing breaks, privacy, and refrigerators at work can help maintain breastfeeding. Allowing residents to remain involved in academic and clinical work during maternity leave helps maintain clinical skills, build new knowledge, and promote peer support.

CONCLUSION

Pregnancy during residency training is common and becoming more common. Training programs can successfully enhance the experience of motherhood during residency by providing flexibility at work to facilitate a healthy balance among the competing demands of family, work, and student life.

OBJECTIVE

To describe how and why attending physicians respond to learner behaviors that indicate negative attitudes toward patients.

SETTING

Inpatient general internal medicine service of a university-affiliated public hospital.

PARTICIPANTS

Four ward teams, each including an attending physician, a senior medicine resident, two interns, and up to three medical students.

DESIGN

Teams were studied using participant observation of rounds (160 hours); in-depth semistructured interviews (n = 23); a structured task involving thinking aloud (n = 4, attending physicians); and patient chart review. Codes, themes, and hypotheses were identified from transcripts and field notes, and iteratively tested by blinded within-case and cross-case comparisons.

MAIN RESULTS

Attending physicians identified three categories of potentially problematic behaviors: showing disrespect for patients, cutting corners, and outright hostility or rudeness. Attending physicians were rarely observed to respond to these problematic behaviors. When they did, they favored passive nonverbal gestures such as rigid posture, failing to smile, or remaining silent. Verbal responses included three techniques that avoided blaming learners: humor, referring to learners’ self-interest, and medicalizing interpersonal issues. Attending physicians did not explicitly discuss attitudes, refer to moral or professional norms, “lay down the law,” or call attention to their modeling, and rarely gave behavior-specific feedback. Reasons for not responding included lack of opportunity to observe interactions, sympathy for learner stress, and the unpleasantness, perceived ineffectiveness, and lack of professional reward for giving negative feedback.

CONCLUSIONS

Because of uncertainty about appropriateness and effectiveness, attending physicians were reluctant to respond to perceived disrespect, uncaring, or hostility toward patients by members of their medical team. They tended to avoid, rationalize, or medicalize these behaviors, and to respond in ways that avoided moral language, did not address underlying attitudes, and left room for face-saving reinterpretations. Although these oblique techniques are sympathetically motivated, learners in stressful clinical environments may misinterpret, undervalue, or entirely fail to notice such subtle feedback.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE

To examine family health team (FHT) members’ perspectives and experiences of interprofessional collaboration and perceived benefits.

DESIGN

Qualitative case study using semistructured interviews.

SETTING

Fourteen FHTs in urban and rural Ontario.

PARTICIPANTS

Purposeful sample of the members of 14 FHTs, including family physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, dietitians, social workers, pharmacists, and managers.

METHODS

A multiple case-study approach involving 14 FHTs was employed. Thirty-two semistructured interviews were conducted and data were analyzed by employing an inductive thematic approach. A member-checking technique was also undertaken to enhance the validity of the findings.

MAIN FINDINGS

Five main themes are reported: rethinking traditional roles and scopes of practice, management and leadership, time and space, interprofessional initiatives, and early perceptions of collaborative care.

CONCLUSION

This study shows the importance of issues such as roles and scopes of practice, leadership, and space to effective team-based primary care, and provides a framework for understanding different types of interprofessional interventions used to support interprofessional collaboration.

Background

Oral anticoagulant therapy (OAT) involves many health care disciplines. Even though collaboration between care professionals is assumed to improve the quality of OAT, very little research has been done into the practice of OAT management to arrange and manage the collaboration. This study aims to identify the problems in collaboration experienced by the care professionals involved, the solutions they proposed to improve collaboration, and the barriers they encountered to the implementation of these solutions.

Methods

In the Netherlands, intensive follow-up of OAT is provided by specialized anticoagulant clinics (ACs). Sixty-eight semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted with 103 professionals working at an AC. These semi-structured interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed inductively. Wagner's chronic care model (CCM) and Cabana's framework for improvement were used to categorize the results.

Results

AC professionals experienced three main bottlenecks in collaboration: lack of knowledge (mostly of other professionals), lack of consensus on OAT, and limited information exchange between professionals. They mentioned several solutions to improve collaboration, especially solutions of CCM's decision support component (i.e. education, regular meetings, and agreements and protocols). Education is considered a prerequisite for the successful implementation of other proposed solutions such as developing a multidisciplinary protocol and changing the allocation of tasks. The potential of the health care organization to improve collaboration seemed to be underestimated by professionals. They experienced several barriers to the successful implementation of the proposed solutions. Most important barriers were the lack motivation of non-AC professionals and lack of time to establish collaboration.

Conclusions

This study revealed that the collaboration in OAT is limited by a lack of knowledge, a lack of consensus, and a limited information exchange. Education was identified as the best way to improve collaboration and considered a prerequisite for a successful implementation of other proposed solutions. Hence, the implementation sequence is of importance in order to improve the collaboration successfully. First step is to establish alignment regarding collaboration with all involved professionals to encounter the lack of motivation of non-AC professionals and lack of time.

Background

Patients want physicians to ascertain their wishes related to resuscitation, yet such discussions of “code status” are often delayed in the hospital setting, which compromises patient autonomy. Few studies have examined family physicians' views on this topic. Our objectives were to explore the experiences of family physicians and family practice residents in establishing code status with their patients who had been admitted to hospital and to identify barriers to these discussions.

Methods

Semistructured, in-depth interviews were conducted with 5 family physicians and 5 family practice residents admitting patients to a family practice teaching ward in a university-affiliated urban tertiary care hospital. Interview transcripts were analysed inductively, and grounded theory was used to identify conceptual categories and recurring themes. Key findings were validated by means of member checking with participants, consensus meetings of the research team and consultation with qualitative researchers.

Results

Barriers to code-status discussions included personal discomfort with confronting mortality, fear of damaging the doctor–patient relationship or harming the patient by raising the topic of death, limited time to establish trust, and difficulty in managing complex family dynamics. In spite of these challenges, family physicians and residents viewed discussions of resuscitation as a significant part of their role.

Interpretation

Family physicians and residents need to develop personal awareness about difficulties in confronting mortality, enhance their communication strategies for broaching the topic of code status in the context of a trusting doctor–patient relationship and sharpen their skills in understanding and managing family dynamics related to end-of-life decisions. Awareness of the barriers to code-status discussions can inform research, education and hospital policy. Consultation with patients is needed to develop effective communication strategies.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE

To examine common themes about implementing and adopting electronic health record (EHR) systems that emerged from 3 separate studies of the experiences of primary health care providers and those who implement EHRs.

DESIGN

Synthesis of the findings of 3 qualitative studies.

SETTING

Primary health care practices in southwestern Ontario and the Centre for Studies in Family Medicine at The University of Western Ontario in London.

PARTICIPANTS

Family physicians, other primary health care providers, and the Deliver Primary Healthcare Information management and operations team.

METHOD

The findings of 3 separate qualitative studies exploring the implementation of EHRs were synthesized. In the 3 studies, investigators used semistructured interview guides to conduct one-on-one interviews and a focus group, which were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim, to collect information about participants’ experiences implementing and adopting EHRs. Transcripts were coded and analyzed by 1 or 2 investigators, and the research team met regularly for synthesis and interpretation of themes.

MAIN FINDINGS

Four common themes arose from the 3 studies: expectations of EHRs, time and training required to implement and adopt the software, the emergence of an EHR champion or problem solver, and the readiness of health care providers to accept the system.

CONCLUSION

Those considering implementing and adopting EHRs into a family practice environment should reflect on the following issues: their expectations of the system and what is needed to use the software, the level of commitment to EHR implementation and adoption, the availability of someone willing to take a leadership or champion role, and how much knowledge of computers potential EHR users have.

Introduction

Compared with other racial groups, South Asian adults develop type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease at a lower body mass index (BMI). Perceptions of weight and the effect of weight on health can influence weight-loss attempts but are not well described in this population. The objective of this study was to examine perceptions of weight appropriateness and the effect of weight on health among South Asian Americans.

Methods

We recruited 75 South Asian American adults from a single metropolitan area in the Midwestern United States. During individual, face-to-face interviews, we asked participants what they think about their weight and how weight affects their health. We measured their weight and height and calculated BMI. Each interview was audiotaped, transcribed verbatim, and translated into English. We conducted analyses using NVivo software. A second investigator coded 20% of interviews to verify coding consensus.

Results

Sixty-seven percent of participants were overweight or obese; 40% of overweight participants and 12% of obese participants perceived themselves to be normal weight or underweight. Forty-eight percent of overweight and 82% of obese participants believed their weight affected their health. Participants commonly cited physical problems as being associated with their weight, but few connected their weight with risk for chronic diseases.

Conclusion

South Asian Americans may underestimate their weight status and the effect of their weight on their risk for chronic diseases. Interventions to promote weight loss among South Asian Americans should focus on modifying perceptions of normal weight and personalizing the relationship between overweight and chronic diseases.

Purpose

Pakistan is a patriarchal society in which male opinion leaders play an important role in determining health-seeking behaviors pertaining to family planning (FP) among their respective communities. This research focuses on cataloguing the perceptions of opinion leaders (clergymen, health professionals, and social workers) about the barriers for using services and practical solutions for promoting FP in the slums of Karachi, Pakistan.

Materials and methods

A qualitative study using an open-ended, semistructured interview schedule with hypothetical scenarios and in-depth interviews with a purposive sample of 45 opinion leaders (25 mosque imams/clergymen, 12 nonallopathic health professionals, and eight social workers/activists) was conducted in 2006–2007 in Karachi, Pakistan. Transcripts were coded thematically utilizing NVivo by using an adapted constant comparison analysis process as described by Strauss and Corbin.

Results

Seven key themes were derived from the in-depth interviews. Five themes provide insight into the opinion leaders’ perceptions of barriers to FP and modern contraception methods. Among the barriers religious taboos and cultural pressures were particularly note-worthy. Two themes offered opportunities for more effective development and implementation of FP programs.

Conclusion

It is evident from the study that opinion leaders in the community and the clergy lack the understanding of the importance of birth spacing. However, because they have a great deal of influence on the community at large, it is imperative to interact with them to build their capacity in order to propagate the messages of FP and improve maternal health and reproductive health in general.

Background

There is a continued high prevalence of benzodiazepine use by older community-residing adults and of their continued prescription by practitioners, despite well known adverse effects and the availability of safer, effective alternatives.

Objectives

To understand factors influencing chronic use of benzodiazepines in older adults.

Design

Qualitative study, semistructured interviews with physicians.

Participants

Thirty-three practicing primary care physicians around Philadelphia.

Approach

Qualitative interviews were audiotaped, transcribed, and entered into a qualitative software program. A multidisciplinary team coded transcripts and developed themes.

Results

Physicians generally endorsed benzodiazepines as effective treatment for anxiety, citing quick action and strong patient satisfaction. The use of benzodiazepines in older adults was not seen to be problematic because they did not show drug-seeking or escalating dose behavior suggesting addiction. Physicians minimized other risks of benzodiazepines and did not view monitoring or restricting renewal of prescriptions as an important clinical focus relative to higher-priority medical issues. Many physicians expressed skepticism about risks of continued use and considerable pessimism in the successful taper/discontinuation in older patients with long-term use and prior failed attempts. Physicians also anticipated patient resistance to any such efforts, including switching physicians.

Conclusions

Primary care physicians are averse to addressing the public health problem of benzodiazepine overuse in the elderly. Their attitudes generally conflict with practice guidelines and they complain of a lack of training in constructive strategies to address this problem. A 2-pronged effort should focus on increasing skill level and preventing new cases of benzodiazepine dependency through improved patient education and vigilant monitoring of prescription renewal.

Background

There is a continued high prevalence of benzodiazepine use by older community-residing adults and of their continued prescription by practitioners, despite well known adverse effects and the availability of safer, effective alternatives.

Objectives

To understand factors influencing chronic use of benzodiazepines in older adults.

Design

Qualitative study, semistructured interviews with physicians.

Participants

Thirty-three practicing primary care physicians around Philadelphia.

Approach

Qualitative interviews were audiotaped, transcribed, and entered into a qualitative software program. A multidisciplinary team coded transcripts and developed themes.

Results

Physicians generally endorsed benzodiazepines as effective treatment for anxiety, citing quick action and strong patient satisfaction. The use of benzodiazepines in older adults was not seen to be problematic because they did not show drug-seeking or escalating dose behavior suggesting addiction. Physicians minimized other risks of benzodiazepines and did not view monitoring or restricting renewal of prescriptions as an important clinical focus relative to higher-priority medical issues. Many physicians expressed skepticism about risks of continued use and considerable pessimism in the successful taper/discontinuation in older patients with long-term use and prior failed attempts. Physicians also anticipated patient resistance to any such efforts, including switching physicians.

Conclusions

Primary care physicians are averse to addressing the public health problem of benzodiazepine overuse in the elderly. Their attitudes generally conflict with practice guidelines and they complain of a lack of training in constructive strategies to address this problem. A 2-pronged effort should focus on increasing skill level and preventing new cases of benzodiazepine dependency through improved patient education and vigilant monitoring of prescription renewal.

OBJECTIVE

To explore the experiences and perceptions of postmenopausal women regarding strategies to improve adherence to osteoporosis therapy.

DESIGN

Qualitative, mixed phenomenologic study using focus groups.

SETTING

Family physicians’ and specialists’ practices and community pharmacies in Hamilton, Ont.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 37 postmenopausal women currently taking at least 1 prescription or over-the-counter medication for osteoporosis.

METHOD

Focus groups were conducted using a semistructured interview guide consisting of 10 open-ended questions about patients’ perceptions of their osteoporosis medications, their reasons for adherence and non-adherence to therapy, and the effectiveness of strategies they had tried to improve adherence. At least 2 research team members analyzed the data to find primary themes.

MAIN FINDINGS

Analysis of data from the 7 focus groups found 6 main factors that influenced adherence to medications: belief in the importance of taking medications for osteoporosis, medication-specific factors, beliefs regarding medications and health, relationships with health care providers, information exchange, and strategies to improve adherence. Strategies that facilitated adherence to medications included having a system for taking medications, using cues or reminders, being well informed about the reasons for taking medications, and having regular follow-up by health care providers for support and monitoring after having been prescribed medications.

CONCLUSION

Results of this study provide a better understanding of how patients’ perceptions and experiences affect their adherence to osteoporosis medications. Because each patient’s reasons for non-adherence might be different, depending on individual beliefs or circumstances, strategies to improve adherence to medications should be individualized accordingly.

Abstract

Objective

To explore the knowledge and perceptions of fourth-year medical students regarding the new models of primary health care (PHC) and to ascertain whether that knowledge influenced their decisions to pursue careers in family medicine.

Design

Qualitative study using semistructured interviews.

Setting

The Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry at The University of Western Ontario in London.

Participants

Fourth-year medical students graduating in 2009 who indicated family medicine as a possible career choice on their Canadian Residency Matching Service applications.

Methods

Eleven semistructured interviews were conducted between January and April of 2009. Data were analyzed using an iterative and interpretive approach. The analysis strategy of immersion and crystallization assisted in synthesizing the data to provide a comprehensive view of key themes and overarching concepts.

Main findings

Four key themes were identified: the level of students’ knowledge regarding PHC models varied; the knowledge was generally obtained from practical experiences rather than classroom learning; students could identify both advantages and disadvantages of working within the new PHC models; and although students regarded the new PHC models positively, these models did not influence their decisions to pursue careers in family medicine.

Conclusion

Knowledge of the new PHC models varies among fourth-year students, indicating a need for improved education strategies in the years before clinical training. Being able to identify advantages and disadvantages of the PHC models was not enough to influence participants’ choice of specialty. Educators and health care policy makers need to determine the best methods to promote and facilitate knowledge transfer about these PHC models.

Objectives To explore trial participants’ understandings of randomisation.

Design In this exploratory study, which used qualitative research methods, in-depth, semistructured interviews were carried out with 20 participants from the CLasP randomised controlled trial. Interviews were recorded on audio tape and fully transcribed. Data were analysed by comparing transcripts and describing emergent themes, using a grounded theory approach.

Setting The CLasP study comprises three linked multicentre, pragmatic randomised controlled trials evaluating the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of laser therapy, standard surgery, and conservative management for men with lower urinary tract symptoms or urinary retention, or both, related to benign prostatic disease.

Subjects 20 participants in the CLasP study were interviewed. Sampling was purposeful: men were included from each of the treatment arms, the two major centres, and at different points in the trial.

Interventions and outcome measures Interviews used a checklist of topics to encourage participants to describe their experiences. Narratives concerning randomisation were compared to identify common themes, retaining the context of the discussion to allow detailed interpretation.

Results Most participants recalled and described aspects of randomisation, such as the involvement of chance, comparison, and concealed allocation. Many found the concept of randomisation difficult, however, and developed alternative lay explanations to make sense of their experiences. Inaccurate patient information and lay interpretations of common trial terms caused confusion.

Conclusions The provision of clear and accurate patient information is important, but this alone will not ensure consistent interpretation of concepts such as randomisation. Patients may need to discuss the purposes of randomisation in order to understand them fully enough to give truly informed consent.

Key messagesMost trial participants were able to recall and describe various aspects of randomisation, including the involvement of chance, comparison, and concealed allocationThe majority found the concept of randomisation difficult to accept and developed other accounts to make sense of their experiencesThe use of terms which have different meanings to lay and professional audiences (such as trial and random) can cause confusion among participantsProviding clear and accurate patient information is crucial, but to give truly informed consent patients may also need time to discuss the purposes of clinical trials and concepts such as randomisation

OBJECTIVE

To investigate whether patients’ expectations influence how they take their medications by looking at the expectations patients have of their medications and the factors that affect these expectations.

DESIGN

Qualitative study using in-depth interviews and a grounded-theory approach.

SETTING

A large city in Ontario.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 18 community-dwelling adult patients taking medication for at least 6 months.

METHOD

Both purposive and convenience sampling techniques were used. The initial strategy comprised stratified, maximum variation, and typical case sampling. The research team developed a semistructured interview guide after a preliminary review of the literature. Individual, face-to-face, in-depth interviews were conducted and audiotaped. At the end of the interviews, basic demographic information was collected. Interviewers were debriefed following each interview and their comments on relevant contextual information, general impressions of the interview, and possible changes to the interview guide were audiotaped. Audiotapes of each interview, including the debriefing, were transcribed verbatim, cleaned, and given a unique identifying number. At least 2 team members participated in analyzing the data using an operational code book that was modified to accommodate emerging themes as analysis continued.

MAIN FINDINGS

Patients’ expectations were more realistic than idealistic. Many participants acted on their expectations by changing their medication regimens on their own or by seeking additional information on their medications. Expectations were affected by patients’ beliefs, past experiences with medications, relationships with their health care providers, other people’s beliefs, and the cost of medication. Patients actively engaged in strategies to confirm or modify their expectations of their medications.

CONCLUSION

A range of factors (most notably past experiences with medications and relationships with health care providers) influenced patients’ expectations of their medications. More comprehensive discussion between patients and their health care providers about these factors could affect whether medications are used optimally.

Background

Empathy is important in patientphysician communication and is associated with improved patient satisfaction and adherence to physicians’ recommendations.

Methods

To evaluate empathic opportunities and physician responses, we conducted a qualitative thematic analysis of 20 audiorecorded, transcribed consultations between patients with lung cancer and their thoracic surgeons or oncologists, from a larger observational study of 137 patients in a Veterans Affairs hospital in the southern United States. Using qualitative analysis, we collaboratively developed themes and subthemes until saturation. Then, each transcript was coded, using grounded theory methods, until consensus was achieved, counting and sequentially analyzing patient empathic opportunities and physician responses.

Results

Subthemes regarding patients’ statements about lung cancer included (1) morbidity or mortality concerns, (2) cancer-related symptoms, (3) relationship to smoking, (4) decisions about treatment, (5) beliefs about or mistrust of medical care, (6) factors limiting ability to treat cancer, and (7) confusion regarding cancer status and treatment. We identified 384 empathic opportunities and found that physicians had responded empathically to 39 (10%) of them. Otherwise, physicians provided little emotional support, often shifting to biomedical questions and statements. We defined this phenomenon as missed opportunities for “interval empathy.” When empathy was provided, 50% of these statements occurred in the last one-third of the encounter, whereas patients’ concerns were evenly raised throughout the encounter.

Conclusions

Physicians rarely responded empathically to the concerns raised by patients with lung cancer, and empathic responses that did occur were more frequently in the last third of the encounter. Our results may provide a typologic approach to help physicians recognize empathic opportunities and with further development may aid in improving physicians’ communication skills.

ABSTRACT

Purpose: To explore the potential for different models of incorporating physical therapy (PT) services within the emerging network of family health teams (FHTs) in Ontario and to identify challenges and opportunities of each model.

Methods: A two-phase mixed-methods qualitative descriptive approach was used. First, FHTs were mapped in relation to existing community-based PT practices. Second, semi-structured key-informant interviews were conducted with representatives from urban and rural FHTs and from a variety of community-based PT practices. Interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using a categorizing/editing approach.

Results: Most participants agreed that the ideal model involves embedding physical therapists directly into FHTs; in some situations, however, partnering with an existing external PT provider may be more feasible and sustainable. Access and funding remain the key issues, regardless of the model adopted.

Conclusion: Although there are differences across the urban/rural divide, there exist opportunities to enhance and optimize existing delivery models so as to improve client access and address emerging demand for community-based PT services.