Monday, August 24, 2015

Medical terms lead to divide between parents and doctors

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-08/uom-mtl082415.php

Public Release: 24-Aug-2015
Medical terms lead to divide between parents and doctors
When discussing a child's symptoms, labels such as 'pink eye' can dictate how medical decisions are made
University of Missouri-Columbia

Few things are more stressful than dealing with a sick child. From discussing treatment with a pediatrician to complying with day care policies, a parent must consider many factors when making a decision about their child's health. Now, a recent study from the University of Missouri and the University of Michigan is shedding light on the significant divide that can exist between patients and physicians about the same terminology--especially when it comes to discussing "pink eye," a particular flashpoint in childcare.

At least 2 million children with conjunctivitis, or "pink eye," visit a health care provider each year. Those visits can be quite confusing for parents as they communicate their child's symptoms with pediatricians, especially since not all visits will require antibiotics as treatment. The study, by Laura Scherer, assistant professor of psychological sciences in the College of Arts and Science at MU, finds that the "pink eye" label, when applied to eye symptoms, can mislead parents into wanting antibiotics, even after being informed that the antibiotics are unnecessary.

"When it comes to communication between doctors and patients, words matter," Scherer said. "Likewise, our beliefs matter. Many parents believe that 'pink eye' is a serious infection that requires antibiotics. But for pediatricians, the words 'pink eye' could mean a bacterial infection, viral infection, or even just redness due to allergy. If doctors use a label that leads parents to believe that the symptoms require medication, then parents are likely to demand it. Our study showed that these labels may cause parents to want medication even when the doctor tries to later communicate that medications aren't necessary."

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Researchers found that parents who received the "eye infection" label only wanted antibiotics when they believed that antibiotics would be effective. However, parents who were given the "pink eye" label wanted antibiotics regardless of whether they were told that antibiotics were ineffective or not.

"Physicians may not realize that the words they use have different connotations to them than they do to patients," Scherer said. "This kind of miscommunication can potentially lead to overuse of antibiotics, which is causing increased antibiotic resistance. Past studies of primary care physicians have found that they prescribe antibiotics in 70 to 90 percent of eye infection cases, far exceeding the proportion of actual bacterial cases. Our study suggests that the words 'pink eye' makes parents believe the infection to be more contagious and to want medication even when it isn't necessary."

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