The Authors’ Own Words: We ask authors to describe their impressions regarding the implications of their accepted work, how their findings will change practice, and what is noteworthy about the work.
What Patients with Addiction Disorders Need from their Primary Care Providers: a Qualitative Study
Katharine R. Press, BA; Giselle Z. Zornberg; Gail Geller, ScD, MHS; Joseph Carrese, MD, MPH; & Michael I. Fingerhood, MD, FACP
Volume 37, 2016 – Issue 2
“In this study, we sought to gain insight from a diverse group of patients with a history of addiction and qualitatively explore their perspectives on their relationships with providers. What factors do patients with addictive disease feel impair or strengthen their relationships with physicians? We hope that a better understanding of these patients’ perspectives will aid in changing the impeding mindset of physicians by providing a unique patient perspective on characteristics that affect relationships between these groups. Our findings, particularly regarding how patients view their role in this relationship, may provide context for understanding their actions and better engaging these patients in care. We hope greater understanding may enable providers to strengthen their relationships and thus improve the health and quality of life of these marginalized patients. We also believe that more knowledge about the attitudes of these patients will facilitate the teaching of addiction medicine to undergraduate and graduate medical trainees. Further work to develop a management approach that accounts for these provider and patient characteristics may improve care for this population by helping providers more comfortably and effectively address the specific needs of patients with addictive disease.”
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