I Have Osteoarthritis

Patient Misunderstanding Of OA 

Differences found between the patient and doctors:

One characteristic that the majority of the previous studies of patient perceptions of Arthritis share is their understanding of only one or two aspects of Arthritis.  The models that have been utilized in previous studies of Arthritis were not structured to assess all aspects of the disease, and consequently only a few components of the aspects of the illness were examined in these studies. 

Patient models are the result of the treatment-seeking process, but they are also the source that guides patient decisions in that process.  By the very nature of their definition, these models are collections of the perceptions held by an individual with regards to an illness, that have been derived from experiences and communications with other people in the patient’s direct environment.  Though a patient model may become more similar with the corresponding medical or physician model during the illness and treatment period, it is not solely the product of this period of time, but rather it is the product of all patient experiences, and it is dynamic and constantly in a state of change. 

The studies, which have been conducted thus far on Arthritis, have demonstrated a common trend in the relationship between specific aspects of patient illness models and the recognized medical model for Arthritis.  There are differences between the patient and the doctor, where an interchange of beliefs and knowledge between the physician and the patient is lacking. 

Do Cultural Differences Matter in How Osteoarthritis Will Affect Me?

Patient Misunderstanding in Arthritis

Patient Misunderstanding in Other Diseases