GOTHENBURG, Sweden, Oct 29, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Elderly patients feel
insecure, apprehensive and passive when they meet with doctors, researchers in
Sweden said.
Thesis study author Sandra Pennbrant of Sahlgrenska Academy, University of
Gothenburg in Sweden, said hierarchical structures, time pressure and traditions
in the healthcare sector make elderly patients and their relatives passive when
facing doctors and their positions of power.
The study was based on interviews with 20 elderly patients and their relatives
in Gothenburg, Sweden, and about an equal number of doctors.
"We cannot disregard that the ability of doctors to communicate with elderly
patients and their relatives could be improved, and that this shortcoming may
explain why this group of patients feel insecure in the meeting with the
doctor," Pennbrant, a nurse, said in a statement. "They don't feel at home in
the healthcare system and sometimes have problems understanding the doctor."
The healthcare sector needs to become a learning organization in which medical
personnel are trained to prevent misunderstandings in dealing with elderly
patients and their relatives, Pennbrant said.
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