Physicians' and medical students' beliefs and attitudes toward psychotic disorders: A systematic review

Psychological Factors Determining Prognosis of Dental Treatments

Many psychological factors may have a significant bearing on an individual's oral health and success of dental treatments. Overall, these factors may result in the avoidance of dental visits, emergency-based dental appointments, noncompliant dental behavior, the utilization of multiple oral health care providers, and poor oral health. These factors may affect the quality of life of individuals and may lead to patient dissatisfaction, poor prognosis, and failure of dental treatment. Multiple psychological factors may affect the dentist and the patient. Those factors may alter the prognosis for successful dental treatment. Physician empathy is fundamental in developing long-term physician-patient trust.

Patients with both cancer and psychosis-to what extent do they receive specialized palliative care

BACKGROUND

Schizophrenia and advanced cancer are complex conditions that impact life expectancy. This study aimed to examine the receipt of specialized palliative care (SPC) in patients with metastatic cancer and a coexisting diagnosis of psychosis compared to patients with cancer only. Secondary objectives included analyzing differences in emergency visits and place of death in relation to receipt of SPC.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This retrospective, observational registry study utilized health care consumption data from the Stockholm Regional Council. We included 23,056 patients aged >18 years who died between 2015 and 2021 with a diagnosis of metastatic cancer, hematologic malignancy, or malignant brain tumor in the Stockholm Gotland region. Among them, 320 patients had a concomitant diagnosis of psychosis.

RESULTS

Patients with cancer and psychosis were less likely to receive SPC compared to patients with cancer only (61% vs. 74%, p < 0.001). Additionally, they were, on average, four and a half years younger at the time of death (68.5 years vs. 73.1 years, p < 0.0001), more likely to reside in nursing homes (25% vs. 11%, p < 0.0001), and had a higher prevalence of low area-based socioeconomic status (46% vs. 32%, p < 0.0001). Receipt of SPC was associated with reduced frequency of emergency visits and a higher probability of place of death to be at home or in a care facility outside the acute hospital.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with a coexisting diagnosis of psychosis and metastatic cancer have a lower probability of receiving SPC. Receipt of specialized palliative care was associated with reduced number of unplanned emergency visits and a lower risk for death at an acute hospital. Efforts are needed to ensure equitable provision of SPC for patients with cancer and psychosis.

'It's not everybody's snapshot. It's just an insight into that world': A qualitative study of multiple perspectives towards understanding the mental health experience and addressing stigma in healthcare students through virtual reality

Objective

The resurgence of virtual reality (VR) technologies has led to their increased use in contemporary healthcare education. One promising application is simulating the experiences of individuals with mental health conditions (MHCs) to reduce stigma among future healthcare professionals. This study set out to explore what those impacted by, or involved in, the education of healthcare students think about using VR in this way.

Methods

One individual interview and five focus groups were conducted with healthcare students (n = 7), healthcare educators (n = 6), and lived experience experts (n = 5). Before sharing their perspectives, participants familiarised themselves with VR equipment and immersive materials simulating MHCs. The constant comparative method and thematic analysis were used to analyse the data.

Results

Participants recognised the acceptability and utility of VR for addressing mental health stigma in healthcare students, emphasising the immersive nature of this technology. However, some participants raised concerns about the limited insight VR could provide into the experiences of patients with the same MHCs and its potential emotional impact on users. Participants recommended the incorporation of interactive, realistic environments with a person-centred focus into future VR-based stigma reduction interventions while stressing the importance of providing healthcare students with opportunities for reflection and support.

Conclusions

Healthcare students, healthcare educators, and lived experience experts highlighted both advantages and barriers associated with using VR to understand the experience of patients with MHCs. Furthermore, the recommendations put forward can inform the design, content, and delivery of VR-based stigma reduction interventions in healthcare education.