Why Do Primary Physicians Propose Medical Care to Patients With Medically Unexplained Symptoms? A New Method of Sequence Analysis to Test Theories of Care Physicians Care to Patients With ained Symptoms? A equence Analysis to Patient Pressure

Salmon et al test predictions from contrasting theories that primary care physicians offer medical care to patients with medically unexplained symptoms in response to a) patients' attribution of symptoms to disease and demand for treatment or b) their progressive elaboration of their symptoms i...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychosomatic medicine 2006-07, Vol.68 (4), p.570
Main Authors: Salmon, Peter, Humphris, Gerry M, Ring, Adele, Davies, John C, Dowrick, Christopher F
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Disease
Medical treatment
Physician patient relationships
Physicians
Primary care
Studies
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Salmon et al test predictions from contrasting theories that primary care physicians offer medical care to patients with medically unexplained symptoms in response to a) patients' attribution of symptoms to disease and demand for treatment or b) their progressive elaboration of their symptoms in the attempt to engage their physicians. The findings are incompatible with the influential assumption that physicians offer medical care to patients with unexplained symptoms because the patients demand treatment for a physical disease. Instead, the reason why many of these patients receive high levels of medical care should be sought by investigating the motivations behind physicians' responses to patients' symptom presentation.
ISSN:0033-3174
1534-7796