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Prakash V, Gore K, Shukla G, Tapiawala P, Thakkar S. Does the format of result presentation and type of conclusion in Cochrane plain language summaries matter? A randomised controlled trial. BMJ Evid Based Med 2024; 29:96-103. [PMID: 37879889 DOI: 10.1136/bmjebm-2023-112433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/30/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This study aimed to investigate whether the format and type of conclusion in Cochrane plain language summaries (PLSs) influence readers' perception of treatment benefit and decision-making. DESIGN An online parallel group, three-arm randomised controlled trial was conducted. SETTING The study was conducted online. PARTICIPANTS The participants were physiotherapy students. INTERVENTIONS The participants read two Cochrane PLSs, one with a positive conclusion (strong evidence of benefit) and another with a negative conclusion (strong evidence of non-benefit). Each participant read the results of both reviews presented in one of three formats: (1) numerical, (2) textual or (3) numerical and textual. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The primary outcome measure was the participants' perception of treatment benefit. RESULTS All three groups of participants perceived the treatment to have positive effects when the Cochrane PLS had a positive conclusion, regardless of the format of presentation (mean perception of treatment benefit score: textual 7.7 (SD 2.3), numerical 7.9 (SD 1.8), numerical and textual 7.7 (SD 1.7), p=0.362). However, when the Cochrane PLS had a negative conclusion, all three groups of participants failed to perceive a negative effect (mean perception of treatment benefit score: textual 5.5 (SD 3.3), numerical 5.6 (SD 2.7), numerical and textual 5.9 (SD 2.8), p=0.019). CONCLUSIONS The format of Cochrane PLSs does not appear to significantly impact physiotherapy students' perception of treatment benefit, understanding of evidence, persuasiveness or confidence in their decision. However, participants' perception of treatment benefit does not align with the conclusion when the Cochrane PLS indicates strong evidence of non-benefit from the intervention. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER CTRI/2022/10/046476.
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Affiliation(s)
- V Prakash
- Ashok & Rita Patel Institute of Physiotherapy, Charotar University of Science and Technology, Anand, Gujarat, India
| | - Kirti Gore
- Ashok & Rita Patel Institute of Physiotherapy, Charotar University of Science and Technology, Anand, Gujarat, India
| | - Gunjan Shukla
- Ashok & Rita Patel Institute of Physiotherapy, Charotar University of Science and Technology, Anand, Gujarat, India
| | - Priyanshi Tapiawala
- Ashok & Rita Patel Institute of Physiotherapy, Charotar University of Science and Technology, Anand, Gujarat, India
| | - Smit Thakkar
- Ashok & Rita Patel Institute of Physiotherapy, Charotar University of Science and Technology, Anand, Gujarat, India
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El-Jarrah RT, Naji FB, Hamadeh G, Abdul Rahman M, Charafeddine H. Perspectives of patients on medical acupuncture in a primary care setting in Lebanon: a cross-sectional study. Acupunct Med 2021; 40:50-58. [PMID: 34753346 DOI: 10.1177/09645284211055746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION There is paucity of data on the knowledge of acupuncture and its use among patients in Lebanon and the Arab countries. OBJECTIVES The primary objectives of this study were to determine the knowledge and attitude of patients in a primary care setting in Lebanon toward Western medical acupuncture and to determine factors that may affect their attitudes toward acupuncture use. The secondary objective was to compare the attitudes and knowledge of patients who had tried acupuncture with those who had not. METHODS This was a cross-sectional descriptive study about the perspectives of patients in a primary care setting in Lebanon on medical acupuncture. RESULTS A total of 212 surveys were completed (78.5% response rate). 24% of participants had not tried and were unwilling to try acupuncture (group 1), 63.5% of participants had not tried but indicated they would be willing to try acupuncture (group 2), and 12.5% of participants had previously tried acupuncture (group 3). Most participants in group 1 (55.6%) stated they would be unwilling to try acupuncture even if referred for it by a physician. Participants who had tried acupuncture (12.5%) had done so for pain conditions. DISCUSSION Group 3 scored higher on knowledge questions and had a more positive attitude toward the acupuncture procedure. Most patients who had tried it had done so to treat pain complaints. CONCLUSION Patients in groups 2 and 3 were more knowledgeable about acupuncture, had tried more complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) modalities, and were more likely to try acupuncture as an add-on or last resort treatment, compared to group 1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rana T El-Jarrah
- Department of Family Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Fadila Bassem Naji
- Department of Family Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Ghassan Hamadeh
- Department of Family Medicine, Central Michigan University, Saginaw, MI, USA
| | - Maya Abdul Rahman
- Department of Nursing, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Hassan Charafeddine
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
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The Role of Approach and Avoidance Motivation and Emotion Regulation in Coping Via Health Information Seeking. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s12144-019-00488-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
AbstractWhen dealing with a health threat, health information seeking (HIS) is a prominent way of engagement coping. Yet, there is only limited research as to its motivational and emotion regulatory antecedents. We present a theoretical model integrating approach and avoidance motivation, emotion regulation, HIS self-efficacy, and problem and emotion coping focus as predictors of HIS. We propose that, in the context of HIS, (1) approach and avoidance motivation have a direct effect on emotion regulation ability (positive and negative, respectively), (2) approach and avoidance motivation have indirect effects on intended comprehensiveness of search via emotion regulation, HIS self-efficacy and problem coping focus, (3) avoidance motivation has a direct effect on emotion coping focus. Our model was tested by means of structural equation modeling in a sample of university students (N = 283). Model fit was good, and all three hypotheses were supported. We show that emotion regulation ability is essential to explain the effects of approach and avoidance motivation on HIS as it fosters self-efficacy and a problem coping focus. The direct effect of avoidance motivation on emotion focus may represent an alternative way of coping with a health threat for those individuals who are highly sensitive to threat-related emotions.
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Persky S, Yaremych HE, Goldring MR, Ferrer RA, Rose MK, Hollister BM. Investigating the Efficacy of Genetic, Environmental, and Multifactorial Risk Information When Communicating Obesity Risk to Parents of Young Children. Ann Behav Med 2020; 55:720-733. [PMID: 33196082 DOI: 10.1093/abm/kaaa103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Effectively communicating with parents about children's obesity risk is of critical importance for preventive medicine and public health. PURPOSE The current study investigates the efficacy of communications focused on two primary causes of obesity: genes and environment. METHODS We compared parental feeding responses to messages focused on (i) genetics alone, (ii) family environment alone, (iii) genetics-family environment interaction (G × FE), and (iv) no causal message. We also examined whether parental guilt mediates the effect of message type on feeding. Our sample consisted of 190 parents, half mothers and half fathers, of children 3-7 years old. After receiving one of the four types of messages, parents chose foods for their child using the Virtual Reality Buffet measure. Parents responded to questionnaires in the lab and at 1-week follow-up. RESULTS In the VR Buffet, parents did not feed their children differently in message provision conditions versus control. There were, however, differences among message provision conditions wherein mothers who received any genetic information chose higher-calorie meals in the VR Buffet. At 1-week follow-up, parents who received information about genetics alone reported feeding their child more junk food and fatty meat on self-report food frequency assessments; there were no such differences for sugary beverages, sugary foods, or fast foods. Parental guilt was typically higher for participants who received family environment information alone but did not mediate the relation between information provision and feeding outcomes. CONCLUSIONS While none of the messages improved feeding above the control condition, GxFE messages were associated with a better overall profile of outcomes. As such, it may be beneficial for messaging for parents about children's obesity risk to include content that reflects the complexity of genetic and environmental contributions to obesity risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan Persky
- Social and Behavioral Research Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Haley E Yaremych
- Social and Behavioral Research Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Megan R Goldring
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Rebecca A Ferrer
- Behavioral Research Program, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Margaret K Rose
- Social and Behavioral Research Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Brittany M Hollister
- Social and Behavioral Research Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
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De las Cuevas C, de Leon J. Self-Report for Measuring and Predicting Medication Adherence: Experts' Experience in Predicting Adherence in Stable Psychiatric Outpatients and in Pharmacokinetics. Patient Prefer Adherence 2020; 14:1823-1842. [PMID: 33116427 PMCID: PMC7555336 DOI: 10.2147/ppa.s242693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2020] [Accepted: 09/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
THE PROBLEM Poor adherence to appropriately prescribed medication is a global challenge for psychiatrists. PRIOR STUDIES Measuring adherence is complicated. In our recent three-country naturalistic study including more than 1000 patients and their adherence to multiple medication prescriptions at the same time, patients' self-report of adherence to each specific drug was the only practical option for measuring adherence. Systematic literature reviews provide inconsistent results for sociodemographic, clinical and medication variables as predictors of adherence to psychiatric drugs. Our studies over the last 10 years in relatively stable psychiatric outpatients have shown that some self-reported health beliefs had consistent, strong effects and a better predictive role. Three dimensions of these health beliefs are characteristics of the individual: 1) attitudes toward psychiatric medication such as pharmacophobia (fear of taking drugs or medicines), 2) health locus of control (the belief patients have about who or what agent determines the state of their health), 3) psychological reactance (an emotional reaction in direct contradiction to rules or regulations that threaten or suppress certain freedoms in behavior). They can be measured by the Patient Health Beliefs Questionnaire on Psychiatric Treatment. The attitude toward each specific medication can be measured by the necessity-concern framework and summarized as the presence or absence of skepticism about that drug. After 25 years conducting pharmacokinetic studies in psychiatric drugs, particularly antipsychotics, we have limited understanding of how to use blood levels to predict the effects of non-adherence or to establish it. EXPERT OPINION ON FUTURE STUDIES Future studies to predict adherence should include the inpatient setting and explore insight. Studying the pharmacokinetics associated with non-adherence in each psychiatric drug is a major challenge. Medication adherence is a complex and dynamic process changing over time in the same patient. Personalizing adherence using psychological or pharmacological variables are in their initial stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos De las Cuevas
- Department of Internal Medicine, Dermatology and Psychiatry, University of La Laguna, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Canary Islands, Spain
- Instituto Universitario de Neurociencia (IUNE), Universidad de La Laguna, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain
- Correspondence: Carlos De las CuevasDepartment of Internal Medicine, Dermatology and Psychiatry, Universidad de La Laguna,, Campus de Ofra s/n, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Canary Islands, SpainTel +34-922-316502Fax +34-922-319353 Email
| | - Jose de Leon
- Mental Health Research Center at Eastern State Hospital, Lexington, KY, USA
- Psychiatry and Neurosciences Research Group (CTS-549), Institute of Neurosciences, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
- Biomedical Research Centre in Mental Health Net (CIBERSAM), Santiago Apóstol Hospital, University of the Basque Country, Vitoria, Spain
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Beard E, West R. Using Bayesian statistics in health psychology: a comment on Depaoli et al. (2017). Health Psychol Rev 2017; 11:298-301. [PMID: 28689452 DOI: 10.1080/17437199.2017.1349544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2017] [Accepted: 06/28/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Emma Beard
- a Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology , University College London , London , UK
- b Department of Behavioural Science and Health , University College London , London , UK
| | - Robert West
- b Department of Behavioural Science and Health , University College London , London , UK
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Potthoff D, Seitz RJ. Role of the first and second person perspective for control of behaviour: Understanding other people's facial expressions. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015; 109:191-200. [PMID: 26709193 DOI: 10.1016/j.jphysparis.2015.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2015] [Accepted: 12/17/2015] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Humans typically make probabilistic inferences about another person's affective state based on her/his bodily movements such as emotional facial expressions, emblematic gestures and whole body movements. Furthermore, humans deduce tentative predictions about the other person's intentions. Thus, the first person perspective of a subject is supplemented by the second person perspective involving theory of mind and empathy. Neuroimaging investigations have shown that the medial and lateral frontal cortex are critical nodes in the circuits underlying theory of mind, empathy, as well as intention of action. It is suggested that personal perspective taking in social interactions is paradigmatic for the capability of humans to generate probabilistic accounts of the outside world that underlie a person's control of behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denise Potthoff
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Rüdiger J Seitz
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Germany; Centre of Neurology and Neuropsychiatry, LVR-Klinikum Düsseldorf, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Germany; Florey Neuroscience Institutes, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
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Lee IS, Wallraven C, Kong J, Chang DS, Lee H, Park HJ, Chae Y. When pain is not only pain: inserting needles into the body evokes distinct reward-related brain responses in the context of a treatment. Physiol Behav 2014; 140:148-55. [PMID: 25528104 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2014.12.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2014] [Revised: 12/12/2014] [Accepted: 12/16/2014] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to compare behavioral and functional brain responses to the act of inserting needles into the body in two different contexts, treatment and stimulation, and to determine whether the behavioral and functional brain responses to a subsequent pain stimulus were also context dependent. Twenty-four participants were randomly divided into two groups: an acupuncture treatment (AT) group and an acupuncture stimulation (AS) group. Each participant received three different types of stimuli, consisting of tactile, acupuncture, and pain stimuli, and was given behavioral assessments during fMRI scanning. Although the applied stimuli were physically identical in both groups, the verbal instructions differed: participants in the AS group were primed to consider the acupuncture as a painful stimulus, whereas the participants in the AT group were told that the acupuncture was part of therapeutic treatment. Acupuncture yielded greater brain activation in reward-related brain areas (ventral striatum) of the brain in the AT group when compared to the AS group. Brain activation in response to pain stimuli was significantly attenuated in the bilateral secondary somatosensory cortex and the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex after prior acupuncture needle stimulation in the AT group but not in the AS group. Inserting needles into the body in the context of treatment activated reward circuitries in the brain and modulated pain responses in the pain matrix. Our findings suggest that pain induced by therapeutic tools in the context of a treatment is modulated differently in the brain, demonstrating the power of context in medical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- In-Seon Lee
- Acupuncture and Meridian Science Research Center, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Department of Internal Medicine: Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Christian Wallraven
- Department of Brain Cognitive Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jian Kong
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Dong-Seon Chang
- Department of Human Perception, Cognition and Action, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Hyejung Lee
- Acupuncture and Meridian Science Research Center, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hi-Joon Park
- Acupuncture and Meridian Science Research Center, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Younbyoung Chae
- Acupuncture and Meridian Science Research Center, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Department of Brain Cognitive Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
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Kim YJ, Lee IS, Kim HS, Lee H, Park HJ, Lee H, Mao JJ, Chae Y. Validation of the Korean Version of the Acupuncture Expectancy Scale. Acupunct Med 2014; 32:51-5. [DOI: 10.1136/acupmed-2013-010412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Objectives Expectancy has been shown to affect patients’ responses to acupuncture therapy. However, no validated measure of expectancy for acupuncture is available in the Korean language. The Acupuncture Expectancy Scale (AES), a 4-item self-reporting questionnaire, is the validated instrument for measuring expectancies regarding acupuncture therapy. We translated the AES into Korean and examined its test–retest reliability and construct validity. Methods The AES was translated using a forward and backward translation procedure. Internal consistency was assessed in 275 participants with item-total correlations. Construct validity was also assessed by performing principal component analysis and correlating scores on the scale with the participants’ intention to receive acupuncture therapy. Test–retest reliability was assessed in 33 participants by calculating Cronbach's α and Spearman rank correlation coefficients. Results Internal consistency was high (Cronbach's α=0.910). Principal component analysis showed that expectancy of acupuncture treatment accounted for 79.2% of the variance. The AES was positively correlated with participants’ intention to receive acupuncture treatment (r=0.695, p<0.001). Test–retest reliability in 33 of the 275 participants was adequate, with the Spearman rank correlation coefficient ranging from 0.500 to 0.737 (p<0.001). Conclusions The Korean version of the AES is a valid and reliable instrument for measuring patients’ expectancies regarding acupuncture treatment in the Korean population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun-Ji Kim
- Acupuncture and Meridian Science Research Center, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - In-Seon Lee
- Acupuncture and Meridian Science Research Center, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Ho-Sun Kim
- Acupuncture and Meridian Science Research Center, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyejung Lee
- Acupuncture and Meridian Science Research Center, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hi-Joon Park
- Acupuncture and Meridian Science Research Center, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyangsook Lee
- Acupuncture and Meridian Science Research Center, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jun J Mao
- Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Perelman School of Medicine at University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
| | - Younbyoung Chae
- Acupuncture and Meridian Science Research Center, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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Son HM, Kim DH, Kim E, Jung SY, Kim AR, Kim TH. A Qualitative Study of the Experiences of Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis Undergoing Moxibustion. Acupunct Med 2013; 31:39-44. [DOI: 10.1136/acupmed-2012-010224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Objective To explore and understand how patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) experience moxibustion. Method This qualitative research was conducted as part of a larger clinical trial of the effectiveness of moxibustion for the treatment of knee OA by qualitative content analysis. Sixteen patients with mild knee OA who participated in a 12-week moxibustion treatment as part of the trial were interviewed using open-ended questions. Results The participants recognised knee OA as a normal ageing process that caused physical and emotional discomfort in daily life. Regardless of any adverse effects of moxibustion, most of the participants were interested in continuous moxibustion treatment as a long-term management strategy and for general health. Conclusions This study suggests that moxibustion can be helpful in managing symptoms related to knee OA. Patients’ attitudes towards moxibustion can affect the treatment result and those who prefer it want to continue the treatment for a long time because they understand that knee OA is a chronic condition which needs continuous care. However, practitioners need to pay more attention to those who are very enthusiastic because they tend to endure treatment-related adverse events in their desire for better effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haeng-Mi Son
- Department of Nursing, University of Ulsan, Ulsan, Republic of Korea
| | - Duck Hee Kim
- Department of Nursing, Woosuk University, Wanju-gun, Jeonbuk, Republic of Korea
| | - Eunjeong Kim
- Department of Nursing, Gyeongju University, Gyeongju, Republic of Korea
| | - So-Young Jung
- Department of Medical Research, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Dae-Jeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Ae-Ran Kim
- Department of Medical Research, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Dae-Jeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Tae-Hun Kim
- Department of Medical Research, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Dae-Jeon, Republic of Korea
- Department of Spine Center, Mokhuri Neck & Back Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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Abstract
This study investigated the effect of a smoking health message on smokers’ comparative optimism. Two groups watched an anti-smoking scenario, with one group imagining being part of the scenario. Participants, including controls, completed comparative optimism ratings for four smoking-related illnesses. The intervention had negative consequences with both intervention groups reporting significantly higher comparative optimism versus the control group for all four smoking-related illnesses. It is concluded that media health messages can be powerful tools in changing comparative optimism but are influenced by peoples’ prior perceptions. Health messages need to be systematically assessed to understand prior beliefs of the target audience.
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Lee SH, Chang DS, Kang OS, Kim HH, Kim H, Lee H, Park HJ, Chae Y. Do not judge according to appearance: patients' preference of a doctor's face does not influence their assessment of the patient-doctor relationship. Acupunct Med 2012; 30:261-5. [PMID: 22914303 DOI: 10.1136/acupmed-2012-010164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to investigate whether a patient's preference for a doctor's face is associated with better assessments of relational empathy in the patient-doctor relationship after the first clinical consultation. METHODS A total of 110 patients enrolled in a traditional Korean medical clinic participated in the study. Patients' preference for doctors' faces was assessed by a two alternative forced choice (2AFC) task, with 60 different pairs of six different Asian male doctors' faces. One of the six doctors then carried out the initial clinical consultation for these patients. The patient-doctor relationship was assessed using the Consultation and Relational Empathy (CARE) measure. RESULTS The data of all patients' simulated preferences for a doctor's face and their assessment values of a doctor's relational empathy was compared, and no significant correlation was found between both values (r=-0.024, p>0.809). CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that the perceived empathy in the patient-doctor relationship is not influenced by the patient's preference for a certain doctor's face. The first impression of a doctor is often determined by his appearance and look. However, whether or not the patient particularly prefers a doctor's face does not seem to matter in developing a good patient-doctor relationship.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soon-Ho Lee
- Acupuncture and Meridian Science Research Center, College of Oriental Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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