This study found a 30.4% prevalence of patients accompanied by other people, which agrees with prior research. Results also confirmed specific groups (dyads) noted in prior studies (ie, child accompanied by parent, parent accompanied by child) and identified new dyads for future research, particularly adults accompanied by siblings. The positive influence of accompanying people on patient-doctor [...]

Continue reading " Roles and influence of people who accompany patients on visits to the doctor. DISCUSSION "

Descriptive analyses The eight participating physicians completed 800 questionnaires over 2 weeks in July 1995. In the total sample (N=800), 60.4% of patients were female, and 19.4% were younger than 20 years, 38% between 21 and 40, 18.3% between 41 and 60, and 24.3% older than 61. Patients had acute (56.7%) and chronic (43.3%) problems. [...]

Continue reading " Roles and influence of people who accompany patients on visits to the doctor. RESULTS "

How does the presence of an accompanying person influence a patient-doctor interaction in family practice? Information on interviewing couples or families with problems is readily available in the social science and family medicine literature. While earlier research has documented the importance of patient-doctor communication on patient satisfaction, symptom resolution, reduction of concern, and physiologic outcomes, [...]

Continue reading " Roles and influence of people who accompany patients on visits to the doctor "

When patients are faced with the difficulties of disclosure, family physicians have a pivotal role. The data reported here extend previous work by Geddes on what factors (eg, attitude, sex) are important when lesbian or bisexual patients choose their physicians. Over and above this information, however, this study shows that lesbian and bisexual women must [...]

Continue reading " Lesbian and bisexual health care. DISCUSSION "

Participant characteristics are described in Table 1. Mean age was 37.2 years. Most respondents identified themselves as lesbian, and more than half reported being in cohabiting relationships. About two thirds of participants lived in urban regions. More than half had university degrees or higher, making the sample highly educated. We interviewed one vision-impaired woman, two [...]

Continue reading " Lesbian and bisexual health care. MAIN OUTCOME FINDINGS "

Setting The study took place in the province of Nova Scotia. The larger study was designed to generate data about all facets of lesbian and bisexual participants’ experiences of seeking health care. A qualitative component provided information about participants’ interactions with health care workers and about individuals’ personal experiences of barriers to care. The proposal [...]

Continue reading " Lesbian and bisexual health care. METHOD "

Straight talk about experiences with physicians. How do lesbian and bisexual women perсеivе the role of their family physicians? little research addresses this question for lesbian women and none addresses it for bisexual women. What we do know suggests that providers’ attitudes and behaviours can profoundly affect lesbians’ health-seeking behaviours. In a review of the [...]

Continue reading " Lesbian and bisexual health care "