scholarly journals How and why patients use acupuncture: an interpretive phenomenological study

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan Jakes ◽  
Ray Kirk
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Phenomenological Study ◽  
Phenomenological Approach ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Alternative Medicines ◽  
Relative Paucity ◽  
Keywords Acupuncture ◽  
Conventional Health Care ◽  
Patient Use ◽  
Push And Pull

INTRODUCTION: The usual drivers of health care provision, namely efficacy and cost, might be expected to drive down the use of Complementary and Alternative Medicines (CAMs), given the relative paucity of evidence of efficacy for many CAMs. Usage of CAMs remains extensive and little attention has been given to explaining this paradox. This paper explores how patients integrate acupuncture, as a CAMs exemplar, within their personal schemes of health care. METHODS: An interpretive phenomenological approach underpinned the inquiry, which gathered data from in-depth interviews with 12 participants who had recently consulted acupuncturists. Thematic analysis was conducted using a constant comparison methodology. FINDINGS: Participants mostly accessed acupuncture for musculoskeletal and pain-related conditions. Usage was often initially motivated by dissatisfaction with conventional health care, perceptions that the source of the problem had not been addressed, and sometimes was due to negative experiences with medical professionals. Previous positive outcomes with acupuncture motivated more extensive use, as did personal health ideologies. Acupuncture was viewed to be appropriate for treating chronic and quality of life health issues, while treatment-associated cost was identified as a barrier to access. CONCLUSIONS: CAMs usage has been explained variously by 'push' and 'pull' factors; however, this study has shown that reasons for patient use of acupuncture may be complex and change over time. This qualitative study suggests that acupuncture fulfils specific health needs unmet in conventional health care, but also that patients view CAMs treatment as part of a broader and more pluralistic scheme of health care. KEYWORDS: Acupuncture; alternative medicine; alternative therapies; attitude to health complementary therapies

EU Health Law & Policy

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anniek de Ruijter
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Fundamental Rights ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Division Of Powers ◽  
Legal Principle ◽  
Legal Competence ◽  
The Eu

This book describes the expansion of EU power in health care and public health and analyses the implications of this expansion on EU health values and rights. The main conclusion of the book is that the EU is de facto balancing fundamental rights and values relating to health, implicitly taking on obligations for safeguarding fundamental rights in the field of health and affecting individuals’ rights sometimes without an explicit legal competence to do so. This brings to light instances where EU health policy has implications for fundamental rights and values without the possibility to challenge the exercise of power of the EU in human health. This begs the question of whether subsidiarity is still the most relevant legal principle for the division of powers and tasks among the Member States, particularly when EU policy and law involves the politically sensitive areas of health care and public health. This question draws out the parameter for continuing the debate on the role of the European Union in promoting its own values and the wellbeing of its peoples, in light of its ever-growing role in human health issues.

scholarly journals ‘Somebody stuck me in a bag of sand’: Lived experiences of the altered and uncomfortable body after stroke

2021 ◽  
pp. 026921552110007
Author(s):  
Hannah Stott ◽  
Mary Cramp ◽  
Stuart McClean ◽  
Ailie Turton
Keyword(s):  
Support Groups ◽  
Phenomenological Study ◽  
Community Support ◽  
Phenomenological Approach ◽  
The Body ◽  
Stroke Survivors ◽  
Post Stroke ◽  
Personal Perceptions ◽  
Psychological Sense ◽  
Qualitative Phenomenological

Objective: This study explored stroke survivors’ experiences of altered body perception, whether these perceptions cause discomfort, and the need for clinical interventions to improve comfort. Design: A qualitative phenomenological study. Setting: Participants’ homes. Participants: A purposive sample of 16 stroke survivors were recruited from community support groups. Participants (median: age 59; time post stroke >2 years), were at least six-months post-stroke, experiencing motor or sensory impairments and able to communicate verbally. Interventions: Semi-structured, face-to-face interviews were analysed using an interpretive phenomenological approach and presented thematically. Results: Four themes or experiences were identified: Participants described (1) a body that did not exist; (2) a body hindered by strange sensations and distorted perceptions; (3) an uncontrollable body; and (4) a body isolated from social and clinical support. Discomfort was apparent in a physical and psychological sense and body experiences were difficult to comprehend and communicate to healthcare staff. Participants wished for interventions to improve their comfort but were doubtful that such treatments existed. Conclusion: Indications are that altered body perceptions cause multifaceted physical and psychosocial discomfort for stroke survivors. Discussions with patients about their personal perceptions and experiences of the body may facilitate better understanding and management to improve comfort after stroke.

scholarly journals Testing the Mig-HealthCare Algorithm in Greece

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
E Riza ◽  
P Karnaki ◽  
D Zota ◽  
A Linos
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Health Care Systems ◽  
Health Conditions ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Host Countries ◽  
Local Hospital ◽  
Raising Awareness ◽  
Significant Burden ◽  
Care Systems

Abstract The Mig-HealthCare Algorithm is a tool, comprising a set of questions developed with the aim to (a) guide the user on how to access all the categories and tools that are available through the Roadmap & Toolbox (b) help the user identify the health issues of importance when providing care to a specific migrant/refugee. At the end of a series of questions, a brief report summarizing the main outcomes is generated. The algorithm was tested in Greece in two mainland reception centres and a local hospital in an area serving migrants/refugees. Results discuss the usefulness of the algorithm for improving the delivery of appropriate health services to migrants/refugees and its importance in raising awareness about the health conditions which are crucial for migrants/refugees and are expected to pose a significant burden on the health care systems of host countries unless dealt with adequately at an early stage.

Kabuki Actors Study

2001 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 94-98
Author(s):  
Marc Brodsky
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Status ◽  
Medical Condition ◽  
Pain Severity ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Medical Problems ◽  
Medical Practitioners ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
History Of

The Kabuki Actors Study set out to explore the health status of Kabuki actors, their performance-related medical problems, and the nature and extent of their health care. Two hundred sixteen Kabuki performers voluntarily completed an anonymous three-page survey addressing their health issues. Thirty-eight percent of the actors reported a history of at least one significant medical condition, and 88% of them identified at least one musculoskeletal or nonmusculoskeletal problem associated with performance. Sixty-nine percent of the performers had visited a physician over the preceding year, and 30% of them had consulted nonphysician medical practitioners. Kabuki actors, the Kabuki management, and physicians can use the findings of this study as a starting point to investigate why these injuries occur and how to prevent and treat them. Pain severity scales or other measurable outcomes of therapy can be used to compare the efficacies of physician and nonphysician treatments.

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