chapter 8- using health services

People with hypochondriac concerns:

are preoccupied and worried that normal bodily symptoms are indicators of illness.

Individual differences in neuroticism have been found to influence symptom

reporting and recognition.

Medical students' disease is an example of the role of _______________ in the recognition of symptoms.

situational factors

When under stress, people are more likely to

exaggerate their perception and interpretation of the meaning of the symptoms.

People in a negative mood

are pessimistic that any actions they might take would relieve their symptoms.

Symptom recognition is determined by individual differences in

attention to one's body and situational factors.

Compared to those with no history of a particular medical condition, people who have a history of a particular medical condition are more likely to

overestimate its prevalence in the general population and thus regard their situation as less serious.

Who of the following people is most likely to view their symptom as more serious and therefore seek treatment?

Nada, who injured her hand from having a heavy object drop on it.

What are the five distinct components that form our illness cognitions about a disease?

Identity, consequences, causes, duration, cure.

Disease models influence people's

preventive health behaviours, adherence to treatment regimens, and expectations about their future health.

Bruce has found that he becomes increasingly fatigued after even mild exertion. He discusses his problem with his neighbour, Sam, who recently suffered from a similar problem. Sam tells him that a megadose of vitamin B complex completely eradicated his symptoms. Bruce tries Sam's remedy and does feel a little better. This is an example of

the lay referral network.

The informal collection of family and friends who offer their interpretations of a symptom before medical intervention is sought are called:

The lay referral network

What organization has begun cataloguing the efficacies of various alternative medicines (e.g.,Gingko biloba)?

World Health Organization

In Canada, complementary and alternative therapies

can be self-administered or delivered by a practitioner.

The few studies conducted on this topic confirm that health anxiety is both a precursor and a product of ____.

cyberchondria

Which of the following is NOT one of the main topics individuals search for on the internet when they are looking for health-related information?

Support groups for particular diseases.

What is the main reason given for not getting medical care when needed in Canada?

wait times

Who is most likely to seek medical help?

Ram, who is experiencing significant pain after a sports injury.

The use of health services is lowest in

adolescence and young adulthood.

Which of the following is NOT a reason for why women use more health services than men?

Women get sick a lot more often than men and develop chronic conditions earlier in

life

Which of the following is NOT a way in which use of health care services differs between low-socioeconomic status (SES) individuals and those in higher SES categories?

Given the known association between low SES and many health concerns, when low SES attempt to access health services they are made more readily available to them than to people of higher SES.

Which of the following best characterizes findings regarding cultural differences in the use of health care services in Canada?

Ethnic minorities use fewer screening procedures, and are more likely to visit a physician but are less likely to see a specialist than are Caucasians.

The Health Belief Model best predicts the treatment-seeking behaviour of

people who have access to health services.

The research conducted at Bishop's University in Quebec on the impact of linguistic barriers on the perceptions of health care services found that

Anglophones felt there were fewer health care services available to them, resulting in dissatisfaction with services received and a negative perception toward their future health care in Quebec.

Estimates of the proportion of patients who physicians might argue are misusing health services by bringing psychological issues to medical doctors (when the issue is deemed to be psychological in nature) likely overstate the problem because

physicians have a tendency to ascribe psychological causes for issues that may be difficult to explain but are in fact physical and not psychological in nature.

The patient who complains of a medical disorder that is rightfully psychological in nature is more likely to be treated by a

general practitioner.

Somaticizers

tend to express distress and conflict through physical symptoms.

Which of the following answers best defines the term cyberchondria?

Excessive use of health-related Internet sites that increase anxiety.

The worried well

are concerned about physical and mental health.

Which of the following is NOT a reason that people use health services for psychological complaints?

Belief that general practitioners are in the best position to consider all the possible illnesses in diagnosing.

The notion that illness may actually be reinforcing because it exempts the individual from daily responsibilities is termed

secondary gains.

With respect to delay behaviour,

people are less likely to visit a physician if they do not have a regular physician.

______________ is the time between actually deciding to seek treatment and actually doing so.

Behavioural delay

Illness delay is the time

between the recognition that a symptom implies an illness and the decision to seek treatment.

The correct order of the stages of delay in seeking treatment is

appraisal, illness, behavioural, and medical delay.

Which of these symptom characteristics would be associated with the longest delay in seeking treatment?

When the symptom is similar to a symptom that was previously deemed minor.

Medical delay

results from problems within the medical system.

You have been asked to develop a public information program designed to minimize the delay behaviour of people who evidence one or more of the seven warning signs of cancer. Considering the research evidence presented in your text, the most effective appeal would emphasize the fact that

precancerous symptoms are seldom troublesome or alarming, yet everyone is potentially vulnerable to the disease and should seek early treatment.

Which of these individuals is most likely to exhibit delay in following up on symptoms?

Lisa is a 53-year-old unemployed woman who knows she has a bad diet and shouldn't smoke. She has a physician she sees occasionally and she hasn't had any serious illness so far but is always afraid she will.

Some hospitals (e.g., Johns Hopkins) are structured such that functional units of specialty areas are led by physician chiefs who report to the chief executive officer who reports to the board of trustees. What is the primary concern regarding this model?

This model is most criticized for creating an environment of subordination rather than teamwork with physicians on the top and all allied health care professionals lacking power over involvement.

Outside of emergency situations where everyone pitches in any way they can, hospitals are usually places of high occupational segregation (i.e., nurses speak with other nurses, physicians with other physicians). What is most problematic about this?

This creates a situation in which information does not get communicated as thoroughly as needed, particularly with respect to those lower on the hierarchy being able to communicate with the higher ups (i.e., physicians).

Nosocomial infections

are infections that result from exposure to disease in the hospital setting.

What might be the greatest drawback of sharing a hospital room with other patients?

It increases the likelihood of acquiring a hospital-based infection.

Which of the following is NOT one of the components of burnout?

increased concern for the client

Burnout among nurses may result from

experiencing emotional abuse in the workplace.

What are the three central components of burnout?

Emotional exhaustion, cynicism, low sense of efficacy.

Compared to other working Canadians, nurses report more _________ and ______________.

depression; health issues including pain

People with burnout show elevated levels of

cytokine.

Nurses who use ____________ may experience less distress and greater job satisfaction.

Control-based coping

What can be said about patient anxiety in the hospital?

It can cause insomnia and nightmares.

Psychological control in a hospital setting

can contribute to quick recovery of functioning.

According to a study by Kulik and Mahler in 1987, cardiac patients about to undergo surgery showed benefits when they specifically had a post-operative patient as a roommate. This could be in part due to the fact that

they were able to obtain information about what to expect after surgery and were relieved to see that their roommate survived the surgery.

Research on the role of preparatory information in adjustment to surgery shows that

preparation has beneficial effects on patients.

The results of Irving Janis's classic research (1958) evaluating presurgical control-enhancing interventions utilized with stressful medical procedures suggests that patient coping is facilitated by

information about the procedure.

In the study by Mahler and Kulik (1998) on the use of videos to prepare patients for upcoming procedures, compared with patients who did not receive videotaped preparation, patients who saw a videotape

reported higher self-efficacy during the recovery period.