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Biomedical subjects

Anders Agård

Publications and source records attributed to Anders Agård.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Experiences and concerns among patients being treated for atypical chest pain.

BACKGROUND: Many patients who are discharged from the hospital without receiving a clear-cut diagnosis of their chest pain continue to consume health care because of disabling physical and psychological symptoms. By identifying their experiences and concerns following hospitalization, an empirical basis for discussions on ways of improving the care of these particular patients will be obtained. METHODS: A qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews with 38 patients with a diagnosis of unspecified chest pain was carried out. RESULTS: Two-thirds of the respondents had unanswered questions and concerns that had not been addressed. They found it difficult to understand why they had not undergone more tests. They requested an explanation for their chest pain, at the very least, or were worried about the future. Some respondents accepted the fact that they had not been given a sufficient amount of time and information. They referred to the stressful working situation of the physicians, the view that their admission could be regarded as unnecessary or that physicians at the hospital could not be expected to do more than exclude serious diseases. CONCLUSIONS: Health professionals should address their patients' questions and fears properly and provide them with the most probable explanation for their symptoms. When taking the harmlessness of their symptoms or the situation of their caregivers into account, patients may find it inappropriate to impose further demands on care.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2005

Familial hypercholesterolemia: ethical, practical and psychological problems from the perspective of patients.

The main aim of the study was to explore the extent to which familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) influences the life of the patients affected. The study employed a qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews with 23 outpatients who were being treated following a diagnosis of heterozygous FH at a tertiary hospital in Göteborg, Sweden. Some interviewees reported concerns related to their medication and feelings of guilt when not complying with treatment recommendations. However, none of the respondents expressed sustained emotional distress or would have preferred to be ignorant of their diagnosis. Apart from being more observant about food intake, their awareness of FH did not appear to have had a substantial impact on their way of life. In fact, those who did not suffer from any other diseases generally regarded themselves as healthy. Discussing the genetic constitution with family members with whom they had close contact was natural, but informing distant family members was not.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2002

[Ethics in everyday care. The dialogue is physician's most important tool].

The principle of autonomy brings questions about the dialogue between physicians and their patients in focus. The controversial issue is not if, but when and how to inform patients about their diagnosis, prognosis and treatment options. In difficult situations the main problem is to find a reasonable balance between respect for self-determination and the obligation of beneficence, i.e. the professional responsibility based on assessments of the patient's best interest. One important tool for dealing with this balance in everyday practice is the art of communication with the patient.

Communication↗
PubMedDate not supplied

When is a patient with heart failure adequately informed? A study of patients' knowledge of and attitudes toward medical information.

OBJECTIVE: The primary aim was to explore patients' knowledge of heart failure and their attitudes toward medical information (prognostic information in particular) and to assess different patient-related factors that might hamper the improvement of patients' knowledge. Moreover, taking the data obtained into account, we analyzed ethical aspects of information disclosure to patients with heart failure. SETTING: The study was performed at Sahlgren's University Hospital in Gothenburg, Sweden. DESIGN: The study was a qualitative analysis of semistructured interviews. PATIENTS: The sample included 40 patients with various stages of chronic heart failure. RESULTS: Many patients had only a limited understanding of their disease, but they still claimed that they were satisfied with the information they received. Some of them seemed to accept, to be indifferent to, or to be unaware of their low level of knowledge. The majority did not request prognostic information. CONCLUSION: We argue that patients with heart failure are adequately informed when they have reached the level of knowledge that enables them to be managed as effectively and securely as possible while being satisfied with the information provided. To give adequate information, health care providers should determine the patients' level of knowledge and explore why those patients who have a limited understanding do not assimilate or request information.

Aged↗