Effect of attitudes towards patients on sexual history taking: a survey of Iranian-American physicians in California, USA

The attitude of the Public Toward Social History Taking in Southern Saudi Arabia

Background

Social history taking is an important element of a medical interview. No previous studies, however, addressed public attitudes regarding social history taking in Saudi Arabia.

Objective

This study explores public attitudes about the importance of social history taking by doctors in Southern Saudi Arabia.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted to collect public opinion about social history taking using a self-administered questionnaire. Social history taking was defined as questions about general sociodemographics (job, income, marital status, housing conditions, and animal contact) and social habits (travel, smoking, alcohol drinking, illicit drug use, and sexual history). Descriptive statistics were conducted, along with a comparison between categorical variables.

Results

A total of 510 respondents completed the questionnaire, of which 381 (74.7%) had a medical history taken before. A complete social taking was not obtained from those with medical history previously taken. Marital status (73.2%), smoking (49.1%), and occupation (32.8%) were the commonest inquiries, while income (3.7%) and sexual history (6.6%) were the least. Most respondents had no reservations about answering questions about their social history. Among the general demographic questions, job and marital status were more likely to be answered, whereas income and housing inquiries were less likely to be answered. Among social habits, sexual history followed by illicit drug use and alcohol drinking inquiries were less likely to be answered.

Conclusion

Detailed social history taking is uncommon among doctors. The public is open to discussing their social status and habits. However, questions involving income, housing, and some social habits like illicit drugs, alcohol, and sexual history are less likely to be faithfully reported and thus need to be handled appropriately. It is crucial for healthcare providers to approach social history taking with sensitivity and respect and to create a private environment for patients where they can freely and accurately share their social histories.

Can tele-nursing affect the supportive care needs of patients with cancer undergoing chemotherapy? A randomized controlled trial follow-up study

Purpose

In some countries, telephone-based support is one of the key services used for supporting patients with cancer. However, there is a lack of research on the efficacy of this method in Iran. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of tele-nursing on supportive care needs (SCNs) of patients with cancer undergoing chemotherapy.

Methods

This randomized controlled trial was conducted on 60 patients with cancer undergoing chemotherapy who were randomly assigned and allocated to two groups, an intervention group and a control group. Patients’ SCNs were assessed in the baseline, and 1 and 2 months after commencement of the intervention using the SCNs Survey -Short Form 34. The data were analyzed through descriptive statistics, t-test, and repeated measure test, by SPSS version 16.

Results

There were no significant statistical differences in the mean score of dimensions and total SCNs between the two groups in baseline (p˃0.05). However, the results showed that the mean score of dimensions and total SCNs in the intervention group were significantly less than the control group, after the intervention (p˂0.05).

Conclusions

Telephone-based support is an effective method to address and reduce SCNs of patients with cancer undergoing chemotherapy through increasing access to support for this population especially who may be in rural and remote settings. During the COVID_19 pandemic and given the vulnerability of patients with cancer, telephone support can be used to avoid unnecessary visits to hospitals and reduced the risk of transmitting the virus to the patients.

Trial registration number

IRCT20170404033216N1