Search

Objective: To verify whether the patient's satisfaction with quality of life (QoL) is similar to or different from the occupational therapist's perception of the patient's satisfaction. Materials and methods: Each patient enrolled was given the Satisfaction Profile (SAT-P) questionnaire to be filled out personally; the same questionnaire, the SAT-P, was given to the respective occupational therapist who was asked to fill it out by evaluating the patient's satisfaction as perceived by the therapist. A descriptive statistic was applied for socio-demographic data to describe the cohort. Differences between patient and therapist answers to the SAT-P were evaluated using a t-test. Results: 12 occupational therapists and 69 patients participated in the study. A significant difference between occupational therapist and patient was found for Factor II (physical functioning) ( p = 0.048) and for Factor V (social functioning) ( p = 0.011). The comparison of patient and therapist mean scores showed that therapists had a tendency to underestimate patient satisfaction levels for all factors except Factor IV. Discussion: The results showed similarities between the therapist and the patient's view of the patient's satisfaction with QoL, confirming occupational therapy as a client-centred discipline. However, as far as physical functioning is concerned, it is possible that the professional makes an 'a priori' judgement, considering the objective clinical data regardless of the patient's subjective experience of his/her illness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A great deal of what medical students learn in terms of behaviors, values, and attitudes related to their profession is conveyed by the hidden curriculum. Aim: To explore the messages conveyed by the hidden curriculum as perceived by third-year students of the Milan School of Medicine, Italy, following their first clinical internship. Method: Three group interviews were conducted. Students were asked to reflect on values, attitudes, and implicit rules they noticed during their internship experiences. Verbatim transcripts of the group interviews were analyzed through content analysis using Nvivo8. Results: Of the 81 students, 57 (70%%) participated in the group interviews. Six themes were identified within the hidden curriculum: Physicians reassure and protect patients; power differential between physicians and patients; variable respect for patients; disease-centered medicine; respect for hierarchies; and delegation of patients' emotional needs to nurses. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the hidden curriculum has a strong cultural component. In our students' experience, the hidden curriculum conveyed a paternalistic model of physician-patient relationships. Some of the messages conveyed by the actual hidden curriculum may compromise the standards formally taught in medical schools about doctor-patient relationships. Organizational culture change and student empowerment could be fostered to counteract the negative effects of the hidden curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]