Blog 10, More Research!!!

With the help of Professor Jeffreys I have decided to further research the initial meetings between caregivers and patients. I want to know how substantial it is towards the patients overall health. I want to know how to make the first meeting the most effective and efficient as possible.

Bertakis, Klea D. "The Influence of Gender on the Doctor–patient Interaction☆." Patient Education and Counseling 76.3 (2009): 356-60. Print. The paper discusses the research focused on gender issue in a healthcare setting. Is the treatment from a certain sex better than the other? According to the research there are significant differences between the care style of doctors that are men and doctors that are women. According to the research, Female doctors provide more preventive services and psychosocial counseling; male doctors spend more time on technical practice behaviors, such as medical history taking and physical examination. The patients of female doctors are more satisfied, even after adjusting for patient characteristics and physician practice style." The take home point from this research, Doctor and patient gender can impact the physician–patient interaction and its outcomes.

Feddock, C. A., P. D. Bailey, C. H. Griffith, M. J. Lineberry, and J. F. Wilson. "Is Time Spent With the Physician Associated With Parent Dissatisfaction Due to Long Waiting Times?" Evaluation & the Health Professions 33.2 (2010): 216-25. Print. Dissatisfaction during a patient visit is not always the fault of the physician. Patients need to be understanding as well that waiting is very well a possibility before seeing a doctor. This article showed me that wait times associated before seeing a doctor decrease the satisfaction of the patient after seeing a physician. I see this as not necessarily the doctors downfall. I think to establish a very productive relationship with a patient, the patient needs to be understanding as well. However, according to the article, "More time spent with the physician was positively related to satisfaction independent of wait times. Furthermore, among clinic visits with long wait times, more time with the physician showed a relatively strong positive relationship with parent satisfaction." I am starting to see more that though the patient doctor interaction is a two way street, the physician needs to be the overall leader of the interaction.

Gray, Denis Pereira, Richard Baker, Arch G. Mainous Iii, and Margaret M. Love. "Exploration of the Relationship between Continuity, Trust in Regular Doctors and Patient Satisfaction with Consultations with Family Doctors." Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care 21.1 (2003): 27-32. Print. The research in this article highlights that after trust has been established between the doctor and patient, and the patient feels confident in the doctor- the patient will become a return/continual patient of the doctor. For the trust to be established, a patient needs to feel like they have been heard and fully understood. From the article, "Consulting the regular doctor, trust and satisfaction with consultations are associated, and patients who consult a doctor they trust report the highest levels of satisfaction with consultations."

Jagosh, Justin, Joseph Donald Boudreau, Yvonne Steinert, Mary Ellen MacDonald, and Lois Ingram. "The Importance of Physician Listening from the Patients’ Perspective: Enhancing Diagnosis, Healing, and the Doctor–patient Relationship." Patient Education and Counseling (2011): n. pag. Print. The topic of patient doctor communication is discussed in this research- but from the perspective of the patient. Elucidating the multiple functions of listening in the clinical encounter from patient perspectives can assist physicians in improving their listening approach." Patients from the study are often quoted throughout the research- and the input they provide is extremely valuable to me in my continuing research. One particular quote was important to me- “They should trust the person in front of them and hear what they’re saying…because I know my body better than anybody else, so I know what to expect and I know how to deal with the little aches and pains, and if the little aches and pains don’t go away, then it's not just about aging or stress, momentary situations…something is wrong, I just feel something is wrong and I think doctors should listen and investigate.” As the physician we are the professionals- but realistically- if we just listen to the patient, they will tell us what is wrong.

Blog 9 INKY PEEPS

Ink people definitely have an incredible influence on the world. Gottschall brings up a very noteworthy example, "peoples deepest moral beliefs and values are modified by the fiction they consume. For example, fictional portrayals of members of different races affect how we view out-groups."(151) I don't think the majority of Germans really had a problem with Jewish people until Hitler produced all his propaganda. Through fiction and the written word, Hitler caused the death of 60 million people. I'd say his fiction changed the world.
I also think that in the case of the Holocaust, and the American Civil War, tensions and beliefs were building, and literary works that were released just exemplified what people already felt/knew to an extent. Somerset Maugham nailed it when he said that, " fiction writers mix the powdery (the medicine) of a message with the sugary jam of storytelling." (151)
Ink people and their stories affect us emotionally. A fictional Great White Shark hurt the economy of coastal towns, and a movie called, Birth of a Nation, brought the KKK back after it was pretty much eradicated. Do you think these things would have happened if ink people didn't influence it? I am siding with Gottschall on this one, I absolutely think that ink people change the world.

My presentation research is coming along pretty steadily. I am researching all the ins and outs of diagnostic procedures, how they influence the relationship of the caregiver and the patient, and the subsequent effects it can have on the patients overall health care. I am currently thinking of questions that could be asked when I interview Physicians Assistants.  If any of you have any input regarding when you meet with doctors, or PA's, or things you like/dislike about initial meetings with care takers- your input is really valuable to me. I really like peoples personal stories, it gives me perspectives I cannot realize on my own. :)

Gottschall, Jonathan. The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human. [New York]: Mariner, 2013. Print.

The Moral of the Story

Our reading assignment this week, "The Moral of Story", was particularly interesting to me personally. I am constantly thinking about religion and spirituality in my own personal life, so to see it spun into the fabric of storytelling was fascinating. Furthermore, that religion is but a way for communities to be bonded in beliefs, and even more- morality, is a very obvious and interesting concept. Gottschall states that, "for a society to function properly, people have to believe in justice. They have to believe that there are rewards for doing right, and punishments for doing wrong."(135)  It has been apparent through past chapters that fiction reinforces behaviors, possibly even allowing those who partake in it to be more prepared to handle social situations. It would make sense that one who regularly reads their designated holy books would have a greater grasp on morality and life. However, I can't stop thinking about a sentence in the chapter- do humans really just, "invent gods to give order and meaning to existence?"(120) Is religion just a confabulation because there is so much unknown? In the previous chapter we discussed how the mind doesn't like to leave voids, instead- fills in gaps so we don't leave things unexplained. Obviously religion, and its stories, perpetuate empathy and morality. So is morality and empathy an evolutionary necessity or by-product? *This could be an interesting research topic encompassing both biology and human communication. 

Through the use of story- morality is continued and reinforced, and further strengthened and engrained into humanity as a culture.  Biologically speaking, when practicing morality and empathy, what endorphins or hormones are being released- and do these chemicals preserve a species?  When discussed together we have a chicken or egg concept. Does morality and empathy perpetuate our species, or is it a by product of being a "group" species. 

Gottschall, Jonathan. The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012. Print.

Blog 7 Summon Research

I am concurrently taking INTS 4900, and have come to a conclusion on the direction I want to take my research. I will be further researching the ins and outs, along with the positive and negative outcomes of diagnosing. ( I will be attending graduate school to obtain a Masters as a Physician Assistant after I graduate from DSU). I feel through experience, opinions of others, and the research that I have done so far that there is room for improvement in the patient doctor relationship. Furthermore, since the initial meeting of a patient with their health care provider is the foundation towards a successful care plan, I have a personal interest in this topic. 
I have used the DSU library website so much through my academic career here at DSU- but now using Summon- OH MY GOSH. Summon is my new favorite tool- AND if you haven't given your input on keeping it yet at the library's site- DO IT NOW!!!  Here is some of my research all found through Summon. 

- My emphasis are Biology/Human Comm. - you will see a very definite use of both in the research I have found. :)

Astell, Arlene J. "Storytelling as a Model of Conversation for People With Dementia and Caregivers." American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias 26.7 (2011): 535-41. Summon. Web. 5 Oct. 2013. The article discusses how storytelling is an important method for communication for people of all ages. It allows us to experience opportunities to discuss topics,reveal information, and connect on a level that we would otherwise not get a chance to with people. Story telling is very important with elderly people and patients with Alzheimer's and other Dementias. Storytelling allows them to communicate with their care giver and, if the care giver is listening thoughtfully- provide valuable information on the status of the patients health. This article is valid in my research because it shows me that storytelling can make the communication process more comfortable, a valuable aspect of the patient doctor communication exchange. 


Bertakis, Klea D. "The Influence of Gender on the Doctor–patient Interaction☆." Patient Education and Counseling 76.3 (2009): 356-60. Print. The paper discusses the research focused on gender issue in a healthcare setting. Is the treatment from a certain sex better than the other? According to the research there are significant differences between the care style of doctors that are men and doctors that are women. According to the research, Female doctors provide more preventive services and psychosocial counseling; male doctors spend more time on technical practice behaviors, such as medical history taking and physical examination. The patients of female doctors are more satisfied, even after adjusting for patient characteristics and physician practice style." The take home point from this research, Doctor and patient gender can impact the physician–patient interaction and its outcomes. Seeing as I am a female who will be in the role of  a health care professional this information is important to me in my future and also relevant to my research now. It leads me to wonder overall- if patients prefer to have a more "maternal" presence to confide in. Furthermore, are women easier to communicate with. 

Davenport, Nancy H.M. "Medical Residents’ Use of Narrative Templates in Storytelling and Diagnosis." Social Science & Medicine 73.6 (2011): 873-81. Print. Storytelling is taught during the residencies of medical students in the United States. Students are taught templates in which to help categorize and diagnose a patient and/or their disease. The use of the templates prepares the students to know what trajectory to take pertaining to the way a patients story plays out. According to the article, " These templates make a first organizing pass at answering, “What’s going on with this patient?” They provide the preliminary structure, the warp and weft, for building a patient story that holds together long enough to diagnose, treat, and discharge the patient." Story telling, helps the student better understand a patient while also helping the patient communicate better with the doctor- resulting in the best care plan possible. I found this research article very applicable to my topic. Medical students are being taught to use narrative templates- essentially storytelling- to help them approach an initial interaction. Naturally, patients can be scared or confused on what they are saying to the doctor- but by applying storytelling- they are able to accurately portray what they want the doctor to know, resulting in a productive care plan. 

Jagosh, Justin, Joseph Donald Boudreau, Yvonne Steinert, Mary Ellen MacDonald, and Lois Ingram. "The Importance of Physician Listening from the Patients’ Perspective: Enhancing Diagnosis, Healing, and the Doctor–patient Relationship." Patient Education and Counseling (2011): n. pag. Print. The topic of patient doctor communication is discussed in this research- but from the perspective of the patient. Elucidating the multiple functions of listening in the clinical encounter from patient perspectives can assist physicians in improving their listening approach." Patients from the study are often quoted throughout the research- and the input they provide is extremely valuable to me in my continuing research. One particular quote was important to me- “They should trust the person in front of them and hear what they’re saying…because I know my body better than anybody else, so I know what to expect and I know how to deal with the little aches and pains, and if the little aches and pains don’t go away, then it's not just about aging or stress, momentary situations…something is wrong, I just feel something is wrong and I think doctors should listen and investigate.” As the physician we are the professionals- but realistically- if we just listen to the patient, they will tell us what is wrong. 
I really found this article important to my research because it comes from the perspective of the patient. So many articles are dedicated to the doctors perspective of what good diagnoses are- but very few ask the patient what they think constitutes a good initial meeting. To step out of a doctors narrative and listen to a patients will produce very effective outcomes in a patients health- and that is the ultimate end goal.