Discipline of Health Behaviour Sciences, Priority Research Centre for Health Behaviour, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, Australia
Priority Research Centre for Translational Neuroscience and Mental Health, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, Australia.
Int J Soc Psychiatry. 2015 Feb;61(1):10-6. doi: 10.1177/0020764014535751. Epub 2014 May 27.
Despite widespread acceptance of the principle that patients should be informed about their diagnosis, many clinicians are reluctant to provide a diagnosis of schizophrenia. This study examines family caregivers' experiences of the communication of a schizophrenia diagnosis and related information.
A generic qualitative methodological approach was used. In all, 13 family caregivers were recruited in regional New South Wales, Australia. Semi-structured interviews were used to explore their experiences and perceptions of discussing the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of schizophrenia with mental health professionals. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, codes generated and thematic analysis undertaken.
Family caregivers described long and difficult pathways to being given a diagnosis, haphazard means of finding out the diagnosis, high unmet needs for information, exclusion from the medical care process and problematic communication and general interactions with mental health clinicians. Caregivers were unanimous about the importance of receiving a timely diagnosis, for them and their relative with schizophrenia.
Family caregivers are an integral part of the mental health-care system, and they should be included early in discussions of diagnosis and treatment of a person with schizophrenia. Their perspectives on communicating a diagnosis of schizophrenia provide important information for communication skills training of psychiatrists and other mental health professionals.
尽管普遍接受了患者应该被告知自己的诊断的原则，但许多临床医生不愿提供精神分裂症的诊断。本研究考察了家庭照顾者在沟通精神分裂症诊断和相关信息方面的经验。
采用通用的定性方法学方法。在澳大利亚新南威尔士州的一个地区共招募了 13 名家庭照顾者。使用半结构化访谈来探讨他们与心理健康专业人员讨论精神分裂症的诊断、预后和治疗的经验和看法。对访谈进行了记录、转录、生成代码和主题分析。
家庭照顾者描述了获得诊断的漫长而艰难的过程，偶然得知诊断的方式，对信息的高度未满足的需求，被排除在医疗过程之外以及与心理健康临床医生的沟通和一般互动存在问题。照顾者一致认为及时获得诊断对他们和他们的精神分裂症亲属都很重要。
家庭照顾者是精神卫生保健系统的一个组成部分，他们应该在讨论精神分裂症患者的诊断和治疗时尽早参与。他们对沟通精神分裂症诊断的看法为精神病学家和其他心理健康专业人员的沟通技巧培训提供了重要信息。
