PubMed · 16805287
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Loren Eaton, Andy Porter. 2006. Message received.. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16805287/
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BACKGROUND: The issue of the expectations of elite athletes, their coaches and non-medically qualified athlete support staff of consultations with sports physicians has not been previously dealt with in the sports medicine literature. As fulfillment of expectations of the content of a consultation may influence patient's satisfaction and clinical outcome, it is important to assess the expectations of athletes and, most importantly, coaches. OBJECTIVE: To assess the expectations and beliefs about fatigue, particularly in relation to blood tests, of athletes, their coaches and support staff in the specific context of tiredness of <7 days' duration. SUBJECTS: 28 senior sports science or non-medically qualified sports medicine staff, 22 elite coaches and 62 elite athletes from the Australian Institute of Sport were included in this study. METHODS: A single questionnaire. RESULTS: The expectation for a blood test at the initial consultation for short-term fatigue was particularly high among athletes (81%) and coaches (91%). This expectation increased in athletes if their performance was worsening. All groups unanimously suggested that a blood test be performed in cases of more prolonged fatigue. Increase in total training load was perceived to be the most important cause of fatigue, but issues relating to sleep were also thought to be highly relevant. All groups suggested that blood tests provide some degree of reassurance, and all groups suggested that the most important blood tests that might be performed related to exclusion of iron deficiency, anaemia and infection. CONCLUSION: Athletes and their coaches generally expect that blood tests will be performed even when fatigue has been present for <1 week. This is at odds with currently available evidence of the diagnostic utility of these tests. Despite the current evidence base, individual factors in the athletes, coaches and doctors need to be considered when deciding on whether such testing has to be performed.
PURPOSE: Self-declaration of personal values has been suggested as a means of identifying students with greater predilection for future primary care careers. While statistically significant differences have been demonstrated, absolute differences between those interested in primary care and those interested in specialist careers tend to be small. This study's objective was to determine whether limited differences can nevertheless be used to identify those with particular interest in primary care. METHODS: Schwartz' values were submitted to a paired comparison design in which respondents were asked to identify the value they held most dearly for possible pairings of values. 88 medical school applicants, 57 first year medical students, 78 final year medical students, and 34 admissions interviewers participated. Applicant and medical student subgroups were analyzed as a whole and as a function of self-identified career interest (i.e., primarily interested in Family medicine or other specialty careers). RESULTS: The values statements were remarkably consistent (r > 0.90) between groups, regardless of which subgroups were analyzed. DISCUSSION: Despite apparent differences in the literature between those interested in primary care and those interested in other specialist careers, the differences are small and do not correlate with career aspirations in a way that could inform admissions decisions.
The clinical management of embryo storage and disposal is dynamic and subject to changes in the cultural context such as public debate and the implementation of public policy. Studies of the decisions made by patient couples for their embryos, and trends in decision-making over time and in relation to issues arising in the cultural context are rare. Studies of the attitudes that patient couples have towards their frozen embryos have largely focused on measuring patients' intentions in relation to publicly contentious outcomes. A small but expanding number of interview studies are illuminating the meaning that couples attribute to frozen embryos and how this influences decisions for their destiny. This chapter maps both quantitative and qualitative studies of patients' attitudes and decisions illuminating similarities and contradictions in study findings, and ultimately highlights the range of attitudes in patients, clinics and the community towards what is evidently a difficult and morally challenging decision to end the storage of frozen embryos.