Barriers and facilitators to integrating depression care in tuberculosis services in South Asia: a multi-country qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Depression is common among people with tuberculosis (TB). The condition is typically unrecognised or untreated despite available and effective treatments in most low- and middle-income countries. TB services in these countries are relatively well established, offering a potential opportunity to deliver integrated depression screening and care. However, there is limited evidence on how such integration could be achieved. This study aimed to understand the barriers and facilitators to integrate depression care in TB services. METHODS: We conducted nine workshops with 76 study participants, including people with TB, their carers, and health service providers in Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan, seeking views on integrating depression care into TB clinics. We used a deductive thematic approach to analyse the translated transcripts of audio recordings, contemporaneous notes made during workshops for Bangladesh and India and workshop reports for Pakistan. Using the SURE (Supporting the Use of Research Evidence) thematic framework, we extracted and categorised barriers and facilitators into various domains. RESULTS: Reported barriers to integrating depression care in TB services included lack of knowledge about depression amongst patients and the staff, financial burden, and associated stigma for people with TB and their carers. Government buy-in and understanding of how to identify and screen for depression screening were potential facilitators reported. Additionally, breaking through mental health stigma and providing the additional resources required to deliver this service (human resources and consultation time) were essential for integrating depression and TB care. CONCLUSIONS: Depression is a common condition found among people with TB, requiring early identification among people with TB. Integrating depression care into Tb services by health workers requires the availability of political support and the provision of resources.

Nursing students' views on trauma-informed pediatric nursing care and family-centered care.

PURPOSE: We studied the views of nursing students on family-centered care (FCC) and their knowledge, opinions, self-rated competence, current practice, and perceived implementation barriers with regard to trauma-informed pediatric nursing care. METHODS: This survey was a descriptive correlational study. The sample consisted of 261 nursing students, 3rd and 4th years, who had completed the Child Health and Diseases Nursing Course. The data were obtained using the "Student Information Form," "Family-Centered Care Attitude Scale," and "trauma-informed care (TIC) Provider Survey." RESULTS: Nursing students were knowledgeable and held favorable opinions about TIC. The survey showed that students with higher levels and those with a hospitalization experience during childhood had higher scores regarding TIC. A positive relationship was found between the students' TIC to mean score and FCC attitude mean score. CONCLUSIONS: Nursing students are not competent to practice TIC, especially with pediatric patients. Therefore, they need to develop relevant skills for helping pediatric patients. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Efforts to improve nursing students' trauma-informed pediatric care should highlight specific skills related to helping pediatric patients manage emotional responses to difficult medical experiences. By integrating TIC into the baccalaureate curricula, nursing educators can provide the students with appropriate skills and facilities so that they can provide holistic and highly effective care to highly vulnerable patients.

Monitoring adherence and abstinence of cannabis use disorder patients: Profile identification and relationship with long-term treatment outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Patients with cannabis use disorder (CUD) show heterogeneous sociodemographic and consumption patterns. Although previous studies, focused on identifying subgroups of CUD patients using input variables, have yielded useful results for planning individualized treatments, no published research has analyzed the profiles of CUD patients according to their therapeutic progress. This study therefore aims to identify subgroups of patients using adherence and abstinence indicators and to explore whether these profiles are associated with sociodemographic characteristics, consumption variables, and long-term therapeutic outcomes. METHODS: This was a retrospective observational study with a multisite sample of 2055 CUD outpatients who were beginning treatment. The study monitored patient data at two-year follow-up. We conducted latent profiles analysis on the appointment attendance ratio and percentage of negative cannabis tests. RESULTS: A three profile solution emerged: i) moderate abstinence/moderate adherence (n = 997); ii) high abstinence/moderate adherence (n = 613); and iii) high abstinence/high adherence (n = 445). The study found the most marked differences at the beginning of treatment for education level (chi2 (8) = 121.70, p < .001), source of referral (chi2 (12) = 203.55, p < .001), and frequency of cannabis use (chi2 (10) = 232.39, p < .001). Eighty percent of patients from the "high abstinence/high adherence" group were relapse-free at two year follow-up. This percentage decreased to 24.3 % in the "moderate abstinence/moderate adherence" group. CONCLUSIONS: Research has shown adherence and abstinence indicators to be useful for identifying subgroups of patients with different prognoses regarding long-term success. Recognizing the sociodemographic and consumption variables associated with these profiles at the beginning of treatment could help to inform the design of more individualized interventions.

Atención de las necesidades espirituales y religiosas de pacientes por personal de salud: un modelo basado en el acompañamiento espiritual / Attention to the spiritual and religious needs of patients by health personnel: a model based on spiritual accompaniment

Resumen Los aspectos espirituales y religiosos han retomado su importancia en la atención de salud, en la búsqueda de una atención integral, digna y más humana, teniendo en cuenta además, los múltiples beneficios clínicos asociados. Sin embargo, el cuidado de las necesidades espirituales y religiosas, históricamente asumidas por capellanes religiosos y guías espirituales, actualmente, en forma paulatina, son considerados parte de las obligaciones de los equipos de salud, no sin la reticencia de los mismos y sin una manera clara de cómo hacerlo. El objetivo del presente trabajo es presentar la importancia de la atención de las necesidades espirituales y religiosas en el cuidado de salud y un modelo de atención basado en el acompañamiento espiritual.

In the search for comprehensive, dignified and more humane care, the spiritual and religious aspects have regained their importance in health care. Furthermore, the múltiple associated clinical benefits must also be taken into account. However, the care of spiritual and religious needs, historically undertaken by religious chaplains and spiritual guides, have gradually become considered part of the obligations of the health teams, in spite of their reluctance and without a clear way on how to do it. The objective of this work is to present the importance of attending to the spiritual and religious needs in health care and a care model based on spiritual accompaniment.

Acompañamiento de un paciente con cáncer avanzado desde un enfoque psicosomático e integrativo: una propuesta de mirada integradora / Psychosomatic and integrative accompaniment to a patient with advanced cancer: an integrated sight proposal

RESUMEN: Los avances de la medicina moderna nos han permitido la subespecialización de diversas áreas, con gran ganancia en múltiples ámbitos, pero adoleciendo a veces de perder la perspectiva del ser humano completo. La salud como la enfermedad suceden a un sujeto que es más que la suma de sus partes. La psiquiatría, especialmente la de enlace, busca integrar las miradas y superar la "falsa escisión" del ser. Logra hacerlo cuando el síntoma inicia en la psiquis. La medicina psicosomática emerge como oportunidad de hacerlo cuando el síntoma/enfermedad se origina en el cuerpo. Se presenta la historia de una persona, que presenta una enfermedad orgánica muy frecuente en nuestros días, abordando lo convencional y clásico, sumando además la mirada psicosomática. Para ello usa las herramientas de la medicina integrativa, específicamente las de la medicina antroposófica y terapia artística de dicha corriente. El objeto de su presentación es mostrar esta mirada de como enfocar a estos paciente y su acompañamiento terapéutico, que intenta reunificar psique-soma como una forma de sanación del Ser. Este enfoque propone un camino concreto, con una mirada y un lenguaje común, entre diversas especialidades, que permita recuperar el lugar de centro de la identidad del ser humano, como ser sujeto a acompañar en salud y enfermedad. Pienso que esto puede tener beneficios en la morbi- mortalidad de los pacientes.

ABSTRACT The advances of modern medicine have allowed us to subspecialize in various areas, with great gain in multiple areas, but sometimes suffering from losing the perspective of the complete human being. Health and illness happen to a subject who is more than the sum of its parts. Liaison Psychiatry seeks to integrate the looks and overcome the "false split" of being. It manages to do it when the symptom starts in the psyche. Psychosomatic medicine emerges as an opportunity to do so when the symptom / illness originates in the body. I present the story of a pathient, who has a very frequent organic disease in our days, addressing the conventional view, and also adding the psychosomatic perspective. For this we use the tools of integrative medicine, specifically those of anthroposophic medicine and artistic therapy. The purpose of his presentation is to show this sight of how to approach these patients and their therapeutic accompaniment, which tries to reunify psyche-somatism as a form of healing of the Being. This approach proposes a concrete path, with a common sight and language, between various specialties, that allows to recover the place of center of the identity of the human being, as being subject to accompany in health and illness. I think this may have benefits in the morbidity and mortality of patients.

Perception and performance of the nursing team in caring for patients with suicide behavior

Objective: to understand the perception and performance of the Nursing team in a hospital emergency service in the care of patients after attempting suicide. Methods: exploratorystudy, with a qualitative approach, carried out through semi-structured interviews with Nursing professionals who work in an Emergency Service. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed as to their content following Bardin's thematic model. Results: seven nurses and four Nursing technicians participated in the study, with an average age of 36 years, most of them female. Suicide attempts are often associated with 'psychic pain' that is opposed to the principles of life preservation; such an attitude has caused suicidal behavior to be misinterpreted by health professionals. Conclusion: most professionals demonstrated a stereotyped 'pre-concept' and full of taboos about patients who attempted suicide, which triggered a service more directed to physical needs and protocol formalities. Few professionals reported carrying out holistic and empathic care, which is so necessary for these people. In this sense, the importance and urgency of training the team in the identification of suicide risks and in the continuity of treatment of surviving individuals is emphasized.

Reflexology and meditative practices for symptom management among people with cancer: Results from a sequential multiple assignment randomized trial.

Optimal sequencing of complementary therapies can help improve symptom management through nonpharmacological approaches. A 12-week sequential multiple assignment randomized trial comparing home-based reflexology and meditative practices on severity of fatigue and other symptoms was conducted among patients with cancer and their informal caregivers. Dyads were initially randomized to reflexology (N = 150), meditative practices (N = 150), or control (N = 47). If patient's fatigue did not improve (nonresponse) after 4 weeks of reflexology or meditative practices, the dyad was rerandomized to either add the other therapy or continue with the original therapy for weeks 5-8. Four decision rules (DRs) were compared: (1) Initiating reflexology, and if nonresponse on fatigue after 4 weeks, continue with reflexology for another 4 weeks, thus providing a higher dose; (2) Initiating reflexology, and if nonresponse on fatigue after 4 weeks, add meditative practices for the next 4 weeks; (3) Initiating meditative practices, and if nonresponse on fatigue after 4 weeks, continue meditative practices for another 4 weeks, thus providing a higher dose; and (4) Initiating meditative practices, and if nonresponse on fatigue after 4 weeks, add reflexology for the next 4 weeks. Symptoms were evaluated weekly using the M.D. Anderson Symptom Inventory (MDASI). Clinically, nurses can recommend either therapy since no differences were found among the 4 DRs, with the exception of lower severity for summed MDASI symptoms at week 8 for the use of reflexology only (DR-1) versus DR-2 (sequencing reflexology to meditative practices). Adding the other therapy for nonresponders after 4 weeks may not be warranted.

Aligning care with the personal values of patients with complex care needs.

OBJECTIVE: To identify opportunities to align care with the personal values of patients from three distinct groups with complex medical, behavioral, and social needs. DATA SOURCES/STUDY SETTING: Between June and August 2019, we conducted semi-structured interviews with individuals with complex care needs in two integrated health care delivery systems. STUDY DESIGN: Qualitative study using semi-structured interviews. DATA COLLECTION METHODS: We interviewed three groups of patients at Kaiser Permanente Washington and Kaiser Permanente Colorado representing three distinct profiles of complex care needs: Group A ("obesity, opioid prescription, and low-resourced neighborhood"), Group B ("older, high medical morbidity, emergency department, and hospital use"), and Group C ("older, mental and physical health concerns, and low-resourced neighborhood"). These profiles were identified based on prior work and prioritized by internal primary care stakeholders. Interview transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Twenty-four patients participated; eight from each complex needs profile. Mean age across groups was 71 (range 48-86) years. We identified five themes common across the three groups that captured patients' views regarding values-aligned care. These themes focused on the importance of care teams exploring and acknowledging a patient's values, providing access to nonphysician providers who have different perspectives on care delivery, offering values-aligned mental health care, ensuring connection to community-based resources that support values and address needs, and providing care that supports the patient plus their family and caregivers. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest several opportunities to improve how care is delivered to patients with different complex medical, behavioral, and social needs. Future research is needed to better understand how to incorporate these opportunities into health care.

Evaluation of nutritional supplements prescribed, its associated cost and patients knowledge, attitude and practice towards nutraceuticals: A hospital based cross-sectional study in Kavrepalanchok, Nepal.

BACKGROUND: There is substantial increment in nutraceutical consumption in Nepal, although the data on its efficacy and safety is scarce. The practices of nutraceutical supplements users in Nepal remain undocumented. Therefore, this study was conducted to study the prescription pattern, cost, knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of the patient towards nutraceutical. METHODS: Descriptive cross-sectional study with stratified purposive sampling (n = 400) (patients from the out-patient departments of Scheer Memorial Adventist Hospital, Kavre, Nepal) was performed using a validated structured questionnaire assessing the socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge, attitude, practice of nutraceutical and total cost patients spent on nutraceutical alone. Pearson Chi-square test (x2) was used to investigate the association between socio-demographic variables and patients' KAP (knowledge, attitude and practice) towards nutraceutical. One way ANOVA was performed to compare the cost of nutraceutical among the different outpatient departments. RESULTS: More than 80% of patients were found to be consuming nutraceutical on their own. The mostly prescribed nutraceutical were vitamins (40.7%), minerals (23.7%), enzymes (21.1%), proteins (8.8%), probiotics (4.2%) and herbals (2.0%). With the most common reasons for consuming nutraceutical were to maintain good health (70.0%) and healthcare professionals (57.85%) were the most approached source of information for nutraceutical. Nearly half of the patients (46.5%) had an inadequate level of knowledge whereas more than two-third (71.5%) showed a moderate positive attitude towards nutraceutical use. The average amount patients spent was NRs.575.78 [equivalent to USD 4.85] per prescription on nutraceutical alone. The maximum cost amounted to NRs 757.18 [equivalent to USD 6.43] in Orthopedics, and the minimum cost was NRs 399.03 [equivalent to USD 3.36] in Obstetrics and gynecology, respectively. There was a significant difference (p <0.001) in cost of nutraceutical prescribed between the OPD clinics. CONCLUSION: The higher prevalence of inadequate knowledge despite moderate positive attitude towards nutraceutical among patients regarding some significant issues such as safety and interactions of nutraceutical consumption and its' substitution for meals reflects the need to develop an educational strategy to increase general public awareness on the rational use of nutraceutical.

Efectividad de la hipnoterapia en pacientes deprimidos / Effectiveness of hypnotherapy in depressed patients

RESUMEN Introducción: la depresión es uno de los problemas de salud que más afecta a los seres humanos a nivel mundial. En Cuba, un elevado número de personas padece este flagelo, sin distinción de razas, sexos u otras categorías. Objetivo: evaluar la efectividad de la hipnosis como modalidad terapéutica en pacientes deprimidos. Materiales y métodos: se realizó un estudio explicativo de tipo experimental de comparación de grupo pre-post prueba en 30 pacientes con trastornos depresivos; 15 de ellos se atendieron con hipnoterapia (grupo estudio) y otros 15 mediante terapia racional emotiva conductual (grupo control). Por la importancia para enriquecer la investigación, se definió como variable independiente el tratamiento empleado según el grupo, y como variables dependientes la respuesta psicológica antidepresiva y ansiolítica. Los datos se procesaron cuantitativa y cualitativamente. Se empleó la prueba de las probabilidades exactas de Fisher y la t de Student para validar la significación del cambio. Resultados: en términos de evolución clínica, la hipnoterapia fue efectiva, ya que el 93,3 % de los pacientes mejoraron significativamente en comparación con los resultados obtenidos con la terapia conductual racional emotiva, dados en un 73,33 %. Conclusión: la hipnoterapia es tan efectiva como la terapia racional emotiva conductual, y si bien no hubo diferencias significativas por los resultados del estadígrafo matemático empleado, sí las hubo desde el punto de vista práctico y clínico, pues evolucionaron más rápido los pacientes del grupo estudio que los del grupo control (AU).

ABSTRACT Introduction: depression is one of the health problems more affecting the human being around the world. A high number of persons suffers this scourge, without distinction of race, sex or any other category. Objective: to assess hypnosis effectiveness as a therapeutic modality in depressed patients. Materials and methods: an experimental-kind explanatory study was carried out comparing a group of 30 patients with depressive disorders before and after test; 15 of them were treated with hypnotherapy (study group) and 15 with rational emotive behavioral therapy (control group). For the importance of enriching the research the treatment used according to each group was defined as independent variable and the anxiolytic and anti-depressive psychological answer. Data were quantitative and qualitatively processed. Fisher's exact test and T student test were used to validate the change significance. Results: in terms of clinical evolution, hypnotherapy was effective, since 93.3% of patients significantly improved in comparison to the results achieved with the rational emotive behavioral therapy, reaching 73.33%. Conclusions: hypnotherapy is as effective as rational emotive behavioral therapy, and although there were not significant differences due to the results of the used mathematical statistic, there they were from the practical and clinical point of view, because the patients from the study group improved faster than the ones in the control group AU).

Patient and Physician Attitudes Toward Telemedicine in Cancer Clinics Following the COVID-19 Pandemic.

PURPOSE: COVID-19 has infected more than 94 million people worldwide and caused more than 2 million deaths. Patients with cancer are at significantly increased risk compared with the general population. Telemedicine represents a common strategy to prevent viral spread. We sought to evaluate patient with cancer and physician perceptions of telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A 16-question survey was e-mailed to 1,843 active e-mails of patients presenting to one of the six cancer clinics at a comprehensive cancer care center from January 1, 2020, to June 1, 2020. A six-question survey was e-mailed to attending physicians of those clinics. Specialties included Medical Oncology, Hematology-Oncology, Surgical Oncology, Urological Oncology, and Gynecologic Oncology. RESULTS: Three hundred seventy-four patients (20.3%) and 14 physicians (66.7%) responded. Most (68.2%) currently prefer in-person visits, and 80.4% prefer in-person visits following pandemic resolution. More than half (52.2%) of patients preferring virtual visits do so because of convenience. Most (63.1%) patients with cancer are comfortable with a complete physical examination. Surgical patients are more likely to prefer a complete examination (P = .0476). Physicians prefer in-person visits (64.2%) and believe that virtual visits maybe or probably do not provide comparable care (64.2%). 71.4% believe that virtual visits help prevent the spread of infectious disease. CONCLUSION: Given preferences for in-person visits, cancer care teams should be prepared to continue providing in-person visits for many of their patients. The discrepancy between patient and provider concern for spread of infectious disease represents an area where patients may benefit from increased education. Providers should feel comfortable performing physical examinations at their own discretion.

Investigating patients´ views on screening for depression in cardiac practice: A qualitative interview study.

OBJECTIVE: Recommendations on screening for depression in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) are highly debated. While recent research has prioritized efficacy studies, little is known about what is potentially required for screening to be efficacious. Expanding our knowledge of how patients with CHD view screening is likely to pose a first step towards addressing this gap. We aimed to investigate patients ́ views on routine screening for depression in cardiac practice. METHODS: This exploratory, qualitative study was conducted among 12 patients with CHD, who completed semi-structured interviews. We used a purposive sampling strategy to include patients within a range of ages, gender and self-reported depression. Thematic analysis was carried out. RESULTS: We identified four main themes: Acceptance, utility, barriers and expectations. Patients in this sample appeared to be in favor of standardized routine screening for depression in cardiac practice, if the rationale was disclosed. Patients reported that standardized screening addresses holistic care demands, promotes validation of individual symptom burden and legitimizes the display of psychological distress in cardiac practice. Yet, skepticism towards the validity of screening instruments and perceived stigmatization could pose a main barrier to screening efficacy. Patients expected to receive feedback on results and consecutive recommendations. CONCLUSION: We found that depression screening is endorsed by patients with CHD in this study sample. Standardized routine screening procedures could serve as a useful tool to combat stigmatization, and encourage patients to display symptoms of depression towards cardiologists. The efficacy of depression screening could potentially be enhanced by tailoring the screening process towards patients´ needs.

Facilitating Virtual Visitation in Critical Care Units During a Pandemic.

Presence of support persons enhances patient and family satisfaction. The introduction of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted hospital operations and has reduced visitation. A virtual visitation program was implemented in critical care units to replicate visitation by video chat to ease stress on patients and family members to improve communication.

Patients Desire Personalized, Specific, and Continuous Advice on Weight Management.

OBJECTIVE: To deliver effective care, healthcare systems should understand patients' preferences for weight management across a spectrum of needs. Our objective was to describe patients' perceptions of what helps or hinders weight loss and maintenance. METHODS: Semistructured interviews were conducted with patients who accessed weight management services at a large integrated health system in 2018. The interview guide was developed and iteratively refined through a literature search and by consulting experts. Questions included the respondent's weight history, interactions with the health system, and current health status. The analysis used a grounded theory approach, and each transcript was double-coded in 2019. Codes were sorted into themes. All discrepancies were resolved through team discussion. RESULTS: Fifteen patients were interviewed. The majority of respondents (87%) reported multiple weight loss attempts. Three themes were identified. First, advice should be matched to a patient's knowledge and prior experience (eg, using bariatric deck cards). As patients progressed, clinician advice also needed to advance (eg, explaining how to expand food options instead of defining a healthy diet). Second, respondents had a variety of motivating factors, and understanding where motivation is generated from can inform how to design a weight management approach. Third, patients need continual and long-term advice. Some respondents feared becoming ineligible for services if their weight dropped too much. CONCLUSIONS: Health systems can support patients by developing processes for identifying the extent of a patient's knowledge and giving personalized advice based on the patient's preferences and experiences. Reassessing needs at defined intervals may help patients attain and sustain their goals.

Hospitalized Patients' Perspectives on Spiritual Assessment: A Mixed Methods Study.

BACKGROUND: Research shows that spirituality is important, but patients report that nurses rarely address spiritual issues, and research from the patient viewpoint is limited. AIM: The research objective was to gain knowledge about hospitalized patients' perspectives on spiritual assessment by nurses. METHOD: This is a mixed methods exploratory study reporting on quantitative/qualitative aspects of the patient perspective. Norwegian nurses in an acute care hospital distributed a 21-item spiritual assessment survey to patients they felt would not be burdened by completing it. Patients' demographic data were not identifiable, survey packets were returned anonymously via hospital mail by 157 hospitalized patients. Each survey item and several variables on the demographic sheet had space for comments. Quantitative analysis used SPSS 21, qualitative data were thematically analyzed. FINDINGS: Statistically significant correlations were found with all survey items. Hospitalized people reported high comfort with spiritual assessment by nurses. Qualitative findings revealed that patients had differing views on if, when, and how nurses should ask spiritual questions of them. CONCLUSIONS: It is important to identify patients' perspectives in order to provide patient-centered holistic care. Understanding patient views will enlighten nurses and may promote spiritual care and improve patient health outcomes.

Being beneficial to self and caregiver: the role of dispositional mindfulness among breast cancer patients.

PURPOSE: Breast cancer (BC) patients report complex negative emotions, including symptoms of anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). What's more, being diagnosed with cancer also has a negative impact on the patient's family such as additional financial burden and care needs, leading to higher levels of caregiver burden. This study aimed to explore whether dispositional mindfulness could alleviate multiple negative emotions of BC patients and to investigate the mediating effect of caregiver burden on the relationship between the patients' dispositional mindfulness and negative emotions. METHODS: A sample of 230 Chinese BC patients receiving chemotherapy and their caregivers voluntarily participated in the study by completing a set of questionnaires including the Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale, the Caregiver Self-assessment Questionnaires, the General Anxiety Symptoms Scale, the Patient Health Questionnaire, and the PTSD Symptom Scale. Structural equation modeling was used to test the relationship between dispositional mindfulness, negative emotions, and caregiver burden. RESULTS: Dispositional mindfulness was significantly and negatively correlated with negative emotions, including anxiety, depression, and PTSD among the BC patients. Structural equation modeling showed that caregiver burden mediated the relation between patients' dispositional mindfulness and negative emotions. CONCLUSION: BC patients with higher levels of dispositional mindfulness showed less negative emotions. The results of the mediation analysis suggested that higher levels of dispositional mindfulness of breast cancer patients could decrease the caregivers' perceived burden and, in turn, relieve patients' negative emotions. Dispositional mindfulness was beneficial to breast cancer patients as well as their caregivers, indicating that mindfulness-based interventions targeting distress in patient-caregiver dyads would be more effective than what interventions for patients alone.

Doctor, Will You Pray for Me? Responding to Patients' Religious and Spiritual Concerns.

Religion and spirituality in the United States have been shifting, and physicians are treating patients with increasingly diverse beliefs. Physicians' unfamiliarity with these beliefs poses critical challenges for medical education and practice. Despite efforts to improve medical education in religion/spirituality, most doctors feel their training in these areas is inadequate. This article draws on the author's conversations with providers and patients over several years in various clinical and research contexts in which religious/spiritual issues have arisen. These conversations provided insights into how patients and their families commonly, and often unexpectedly, make religious/spiritual comments to their providers or question their providers about these topics, directly or indirectly. Comments are of at least 9 types that fall within 4 broad domains: (1) perceiving God's role in disease and treatment (in causing disease, affecting treatment outcomes, and knowing disease outcomes), (2) making medical decisions (seeking God's help in making these decisions and determining types/extents of treatment), (3) interacting with providers (ascertaining providers' beliefs, having preferences regarding providers, and requesting prayer with or by providers), and (4) pondering an afterlife. Because of their beliefs or lack of knowledge, doctors face challenges in responding and often do so in 1 of 4 broad ways: (1) not commenting, (2) asking strictly medical questions, (3) referring the patient to a chaplain, or (4) commenting on the patient's remark. Medical education should thus encourage providers to recognize the potential significance of patients' remarks regarding these topics and to be prepared to respond, even if briefly, by developing appropriate responses to each statement type. Becoming aware of potential differences between key aspects of non-Western faiths (e.g., through case vignettes) could be helpful. Further research should examine in greater depth how patients broach these realms, how physicians respond, and how often medical school curricula mention non-Western traditions.

Autonomia e Práticas Integrativas e Complementares: significados e relações para usuários e profissionais da Atenção Primária à Saúde / Autonomy and integrative and complementary practices: meanings and relations through the lens of Primary Health Care service users and professionals / Autonomía y Prácticas Integrativas y Complementarias: significados y relaciones para usuarios y profesionales de la Atención Primaria de la Salud

Este estudo investigou os significados de autonomia em saúde e de Práticas Integrativas e Complementares (PIC) atribuídos por usuários e profissionais de um Centro de Saúde (CS) e as possíveis contribuições das PIC para a autonomia do usuário. Foi realizada uma pesquisa qualitativa, cujas informações foram obtidas mediante entrevistas semiestruturadas, gravadas em áudio e interpretadas mediante análise de conteúdo. Participaram 18 indivíduos, entre frequentadores de um grupo de yoga, do serviço de acupuntura e profissionais de um CS de Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brasil. Os resultados revelaram entendimentos múltiplos sobre autonomia em saúde e diferenças entre as PIC investigadas, yoga e acupuntura, o que pareceu relacionado à primeira prática estar mais inserida na lógica da promoção da saúde que a segunda, mais restrita ao âmbito da clínica. (AU)

This study investigated meanings of autonomy and integrative and complementary practices (ICPs) assigned by health center (HC) patients and professionals and the potential contribution of ICPs to patient autonomy. We conducted a qualitative study based on data obtained from semi-structured interviews recorded and interpreted using content analysis. Eighteen individuals participated in the study, including members of a yoga group, acupuncture service users, and professionals from a HC in Florianopolis, Brazil. The findings reveal multiple understandings of patient autonomy and differences between the ICPs investigated (yoga and acupuncture). This seemed to be related to the fact that the former is more nested in the health promotion logic than the latter, which is more restricted to the clinical approach. (AU)

Este estudio investigó los significados de autonomía en salud y de Prácticas Integrativas y Complementarias (PIC) atribuidos por usuarios y profesionales de un Centro de Salud (CS) y las posibles contribuciones de las PIC para la autonomía del usuario. Se realizó una investigación cualitativa, cuyas informaciones se obtuvieron por medio de entrevistas semiestructuradas, grabadas en audio e interpretadas por medio del análisis de contenido. Participaron 18 individuos, entre frecuentadores de un grupo de yoga, del servicio de acupuntura y profesionales de un CS de Florianópolis, Santa Catarina - Brasil. Los resultados revelaron entendimientos múltiples sobre autonomía en salud y diferencias entre las PIC investigadas, yoga y acupuntura, lo que pareció estar relacionado con que la primera práctica estaba más inserida en la lógica de la promoción de la salud que la segunda, más restringida al ámbito de la clínica. (AU)