Communication between physicians and Spanish-speaking Latin American women with pelvic floor disorders: a cycle of misunderstanding?
Female Pelvic Med Reconstr Surg
; 19(2): 90-7, 2013.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-23442506
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:
This study aimed to assess the effect of the initial visit with a specialist on disease understanding among Spanish-speaking women with pelvic floor disorders.METHODS:
Spanish-speaking women with referrals suggestive of urinary incontinence (UI) and/or pelvic organ prolapse (POP) were recruited from public urogynecology clinics. Patients participated in a health literacy assessment and interview before and after their physician encounter. All interviews were analyzed using Grounded Theory qualitative methods.RESULTS:
Twenty-seven women with POP (n = 6), UI (n = 11), and POP/UI (n = 10) were enrolled in this study. The mean age was 55.5 years, and most women had marginal levels of health literacy. From our qualitative analysis, 3 concepts emerged. First, was that patients had poor understanding of their diagnosis before and after the encounter regardless of how extensive the physician's explanation or level of Spanish-proficiency. Second, patients were overwhelmed with the amount of information given to them. Lastly, patients ultimately put their trust in the physician, relying on them for treatment recommendations.CONCLUSIONS:
Our findings emphasize the difficulty Spanish-speaking women with low health literacy have in understanding information regarding pelvic floor disorders. In this specific population, the physician has a major role in influencing patients' treatment decisions and helping them overcome fears they may have about their condition.
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Hispánicos o Latinos
/
Comunicación
/
Comprensión
/
Trastornos del Suelo Pélvico
Tipo de estudio:
Diagnostic_studies
/
Guideline
/
Prognostic_studies
/
Qualitative_research
Límite:
Adult
/
Aged
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Middle aged
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Female Pelvic Med Reconstr Surg
Año:
2013
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Estados Unidos