Download - Closing perception gaps between patients and their caregivers

Closing perception gaps between patients and their caregivers

Sept. 29, 2013

MEDICINE X

@brianloew Brian Loew @Helpkeepasister Maggie Heim

Paul Hoffman @Empoweringpts Aanand Naik, MD

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Overall, caregivers noted symptoms to be at higher rates than patients, while patients were much more willing to participate in supportive care trials to evaluate novel methods to manage symptoms.

Perceptions of stage IV NSCLC patients and caregivers regarding severity of symptoms and willingness to

participate in supportive care trials

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Perceptions of stage IV NSCLC patients and caregivers

Perception of symptom severity by Stage IV NSLC patients & their caregivers

Patient

Caregiver

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

Loss of strength

Weakness Poor sleep Moodiness Fatigue

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Patient

Caregiver

Pain Difficulty breathing

Naus/Vom.

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

Perception of symptom severity by Stage IV NSLC patients & their caregivers


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Patient

Caregiver

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Wt. Loss Supp. Trial

Report of weight loss & willingness to participate in a supportive care trial to manage symptoms/feel better


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www.helpkeepasisteralive.com

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“The hedonic treadmill, also known as hedonic adaptation, is the supposed tendency of humans to quickly return to a relatively stable level of happiness despite major positive or negative events or life changes.”

Hedonic adaption

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Mispredicting and Misremembering: Patients With Renal Failure Overestimate Improvements in Quality of Life After a Kidney Transplant Health Psychology2008, Vol. 27, No. 5, 653–658

• Data show we have set-points in our quality of life and tend to adapt quickly as our health status changes but these adaptations are around our set-point.

• “Affective forecasting” highlights human bias and errors in making emotional forecasts.

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Key Findings

• In addition to standard patient/physician interactions, patients and companions were often found to discuss medical information and to exchange opinions between themselves without the physician actively participating; we called these instances ‘family time-out’.

• Physicians may benefit from observation of such instances of ‘family time-out’ since these may contribute to consultation outcomes which are better understood and supported by the patient's social system.

• This finding highlights the importance of companions being encouraged to attend consultations in which difficult decisions are made.

Recognising the importance of ‘family time-out’ in consultations: an exploratory qualitative study

British Medical Journal Open2013; 3:e002144 doi:10.1136