Facing serious diagnosis

لَّيۡسَ عَلَى ٱلۡأَعۡمَىٰ حَرَجࣱ وَلَا عَلَى ٱلۡأَعۡرَجِ حَرَجࣱ وَلَا عَلَى ٱلۡمَرِيضِ حَرَجࣱۗ وَمَن يُطِعِ ٱللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُۥ يُدۡخِلۡهُ جَنَّٰتࣲ تَجۡرِي مِن تَحۡتِهَا ٱلۡأَنۡهَٰرُۖ وَمَن يَتَوَلَّ يُعَذِّبۡهُ عَذَابًا أَلِيمࣰ ا

the blind, the lame, and the sick will not be blamed.’ God will admit anyone who obeys Him and His Messenger to Gardens graced with flowing streams; He will painfully punish anyone who turns away

لَّيۡسَ عَلَى ٱلۡأَعۡمَىٰ حَرَجࣱ وَلَا عَلَى ٱلۡأَعۡرَجِ حَرَجࣱ وَلَا عَلَى ٱلۡمَرِيضِ حَرَجࣱ وَلَا عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِكُمۡ أَن تَأۡكُلُواْ مِنۢ بُيُوتِكُمۡ أَوۡ بُيُوتِ ءَابَآئِكُمۡ أَوۡ بُيُوتِ أُمَّهَٰتِكُمۡ أَوۡ بُيُوتِ إِخۡوَٰنِكُمۡ أَوۡ بُيُوتِ أَخَوَٰتِكُمۡ أَوۡ بُيُوتِ أَعۡمَٰمِكُمۡ أَوۡ بُيُوتِ عَمَّٰتِكُمۡ أَوۡ بُيُوتِ أَخۡوَٰلِكُمۡ أَوۡ بُيُوتِ خَٰلَٰتِكُمۡ أَوۡ مَا مَلَكۡتُم مَّفَاتِحَهُۥٓ أَوۡ صَدِيقِكُمۡۚ لَيۡسَ عَلَيۡكُمۡ جُنَاحٌ أَن تَأۡكُلُواْ جَمِيعًا أَوۡ أَشۡتَاتࣰ اۚ فَإِذَا دَخَلۡتُم بُيُوتࣰ ا فَسَلِّمُواْ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِكُمۡ تَحِيَّةࣰ مِّنۡ عِندِ ٱللَّهِ مُبَٰرَكَةࣰ طَيِّبَةࣰۚ كَذَٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمُ ٱلۡأٓيَٰتِ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَعۡقِلُونَ

No blame will be attached to the blind, the lame, the sick.Whether you eat in your own houses, or those of your fathers, your mothers, your brothers, your sisters, your paternal uncles, your paternal aunts, your maternal uncles, your maternal aunts, houses you have the keys for, or any of your friends’ houses, you will not be blamed: you will not be blamed whether you eat in company or separately. When you enter any house, greet one another with a greeting of blessing and goodness as enjoined by God. This is how God makes His messages clear to you so that you may understand

لِّيَجۡعَلَ مَا يُلۡقِي ٱلشَّيۡطَٰنُ فِتۡنَةࣰ لِّلَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِم مَّرَضࣱ وَٱلۡقَاسِيَةِ قُلُوبُهُمۡۗ وَإِنَّ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ لَفِي شِقَاقِۭ بَعِيدࣲ‏

He makes Satan’s insinuations a temptation only for the sick at heart and those whose hearts are hardened- the evildoers are profoundly opposed [to the Truth]

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓاْ إِذَا قُمۡتُمۡ إِلَى ٱلصَّلَوٰةِ فَٱغۡسِلُواْ وُجُوهَكُمۡ وَأَيۡدِيَكُمۡ إِلَى ٱلۡمَرَافِقِ وَٱمۡسَحُواْ بِرُءُوسِكُمۡ وَأَرۡجُلَكُمۡ إِلَى ٱلۡكَعۡبَيۡنِۚ وَإِن كُنتُمۡ جُنُبࣰ ا فَٱطَّهَّرُواْۚ وَإِن كُنتُم مَّرۡضَىٰٓ أَوۡ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍ أَوۡ جَآءَ أَحَدࣱ مِّنكُم مِّنَ ٱلۡغَآئِطِ أَوۡ لَٰمَسۡتُمُ ٱلنِّسَآءَ فَلَمۡ تَجِدُواْ مَآءࣰ فَتَيَمَّمُواْ صَعِيدࣰ ا طَيِّبࣰ ا فَٱمۡسَحُواْ بِوُجُوهِكُمۡ وَأَيۡدِيكُم مِّنۡهُۚ مَا يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ لِيَجۡعَلَ عَلَيۡكُم مِّنۡ حَرَجࣲ وَلَٰكِن يُرِيدُ لِيُطَهِّرَكُمۡ وَلِيُتِمَّ نِعۡمَتَهُۥ عَلَيۡكُمۡ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَشۡكُرُونَ

You who believe, when you are about to pray, wash your faces and your hands up to the elbows, wipe your heads, wash your feet up to the ankles and, if required, wash your whole body. If any of you is sick or on a journey, or has just relieved himself, or had intimate contact with a woman, and can find no water, then take some clean sand and wipe your face and hands with it. God does not wish to place any burden on you: He only wishes to cleanse you and perfect His blessing on you, so that you may be thankful

إِذۡ يَقُولُ ٱلۡمُنَٰفِقُونَ وَٱلَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِم مَّرَضٌ غَرَّ هَٰٓؤُلَآءِ دِينُهُمۡۗ وَمَن يَتَوَكَّلۡ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمࣱ‏

The hypocrites and those who have sickness in their hearts said, ‘These people [the believers] must be deluded by their religion,’ but if anyone puts his trust in God, God is mighty and wise

لَّيۡسَ عَلَى ٱلضُّعَفَآءِ وَلَا عَلَى ٱلۡمَرۡضَىٰ وَلَا عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يَجِدُونَ مَا يُنفِقُونَ حَرَجٌ إِذَا نَصَحُواْ لِلَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦۚ مَا عَلَى ٱلۡمُحۡسِنِينَ مِن سَبِيلࣲۚ وَٱللَّهُ غَفُورࣱ رَّحِيمࣱ‏

but there is no blame attached to the weak, the sick, and those who have no means to spend, provided they are true to God and His Messenger- there is no reason to reproach those who do good: God is most forgiving and merciful

There is no blame on the blind nor is there blame on the lame nor is there blame on the sick to refrain from participating in the struggle. And whoever obeys God and His Messenger He will admit him read yudkhilhu or nudkhilhu ‘We will admit him’ into gardens underneath which rivers flow; and whoever turns away him He will chastise read yu‘adhdhibhu or nu‘adhdhibhu ‘him We will chastise’ with a painful chastisement.

Say to the bedouins who lagged behind: "You shall be called to fight against a people given to great warfare, then you shall fight them, or they shall surrender. Then if you obey, Allah will give you a fair reward; but if you turn away as you did turn away before, He will punish you with a painful torment. (16)No blame or sin is there upon the blind, nor is there sin upon the lame, nor is there sin upon the sick. And whosoever obeys Allah and His Messenger, He will admit him to Gardens beneath which rivers flow; and whosoever turns back, He will punish him with a painful torment (17) Allah conveys the News that there will be Many Cases of Jihad, and that Jihad distinguishes the Ranks of the Believers and exposes the Hypocrites Scholars of Tafsir differ over who the people mentioned here are. They are people experienced at warfare who will be called to fight. There are many opinions, fi

(No blame is there upon the blind�) [24:61]. Said ibn �Abbas: �When Allah, glorious and exalted is He, revealed (O ye who believe! Squander not your wealth among yourselves in vanity�) [4:29], the Muslims felt vexed to eat with the sick, the old, the blind and the lame. They said: �Food is the best part of one�s wealth, and Allah, exalted is He, has warned against squandering wealth in vanity. The blind cannot see where wholesome food is, the lame cannot compete over food and the sick cannot eat properly�. As a response, Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse�. Sa�id ibn Jubayr and al-Dahhak said: �The lame and the blind used to feel vexed at eating with healthy people because the latter found them despicable and disliked eating with them. The people of Medina did not allow the blind, lame or sick person to share their food because they considered them dirty. For this reason, Allah, e

There is no blame upon the blind nor any blame upon the lame nor any blame upon the sick that they be one’s table companions nor any blame upon yourselves if you eat from your own houses that is from the houses of your offspring or your fathers’ houses or your mothers’ houses or your brothers’ houses or your sisters’ houses or the houses of your paternal uncles or the houses of your paternal aunts or the houses of your maternal uncles or the houses of your maternal aunts or from that whereof you hold the keys from that which you safeguard on behalf of others or from those of your faithful friends sadīq is so called because he is ‘faithful’ sadaqa to you in his affection. In other words one is permitted to eat from the houses of those mentioned even if they are not present provided that they consent to it. You would not be at fault whether you eat together in a group or separately individ

O you who have faith, when you stand for the prayer, wash your faces and your hands up to your elbows.... If you find no water, have recourse to goodly dust. Outward purity has three sections: First is purity after impurity. Second is purity after excretion and sexual activity. Third is purity from the sheddings of the body, such as nails, hair, dirt, and so on. Each of these three sections has an explanation and an explication, and these will be spoken of elsewhere, God willing. Inward purity has three duties: First, purity of the limbs from disobedience, such as back- biting, lying, eating the forbidden, betrayal, and looking at women illicitly. When this purity is gained, the servant is adorned with obedience and reverence. This is the degree of the faith of the pious. Its mark is that the remembrance of the Real is always on their tongue, the fruit of the prom- ise in their heart, th

O you who believe when you stand up that is when you intend to go to pray and you are in a state of ritual impurity wash your faces and your hands up to the elbows that is including them the elbows as is clarified in the Sunna; and wipe your heads the bā’ in bi-ru’ūsikum is for ‘adherence’ that is to say wipe over the head adhering the hand closely without excessive water pouring over; the noun ra’s ‘head’ is generic and so the minimum required to fulfil the stipulation is acceptable which is the wiping of some of the hair as al-Shāfi‘ī asserts; and your feet read wa-arjulakum in the accusative as a supplement to aydīyakum; or wa-arjulikum in the genitive because of its adjacency to the genitive bi-ru’ūsikum up to the ankles that is including them the ankles as is clarified in the Sunna and they are the two protruding bones at the juncture of the legs and the feet. The interposing of the

حَدَّثَنِي عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْمَلِكِ بْنُ عَمْرٍو، حَدَّثَنَا زُهَيْرُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَمْرِو بْنِ حَلْحَلَةَ، عَنْ عَطَاءِ بْنِ يَسَارٍ، عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ، وَعَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏ "‏ مَا يُصِيبُ الْمُسْلِمَ مِنْ نَصَبٍ وَلاَ وَصَبٍ وَلاَ هَمٍّ وَلاَ حُزْنٍ وَلاَ أَذًى وَلاَ غَمٍّ حَتَّى الشَّوْكَةِ يُشَاكُهَا، إِلاَّ كَفَّرَ اللَّهُ بِهَا مِنْ خَطَايَاهُ ‏"‏‏.‏

Narrated Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri and Abu Huraira:The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "No fatigue, nor disease, nor sorrow, nor sadness, nor hurt, nor distress befalls a Muslim, even if it were the prick he receives from a thorn, but that Allah expiates some of his sins for that

حَدَّثَنَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ الْمُنْذِرِ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ فُلَيْحٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي أَبِي، عَنْ هِلاَلِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ، مِنْ بَنِي عَامِرِ بْنِ لُؤَىٍّ عَنْ عَطَاءِ بْنِ يَسَارٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ "‏ مَثَلُ الْمُؤْمِنِ كَمَثَلِ الْخَامَةِ مِنَ الزَّرْعِ مِنْ حَيْثُ أَتَتْهَا الرِّيحُ كَفَأَتْهَا، فَإِذَا اعْتَدَلَتْ تَكَفَّأُ بِالْبَلاَءِ، وَالْفَاجِرُ كَالأَرْزَةِ صَمَّاءَ مُعْتَدِلَةً حَتَّى يَقْصِمَهَا اللَّهُ إِذَا شَاءَ ‏"‏‏.‏

Narrated Abu Huraira:Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "The example of a believer is that of a fresh tender plant; from whatever direction the wind comes, it bends it, but when the wind becomes quiet, it becomes straight again. Similarly, a believer is afflicted with calamities (but he remains patient till Allah removes his difficulties.) And an impious wicked person is like a pine tree which keeps hard and straight till Allah cuts (breaks) it down when He wishes." (See Hadith No. 558, Vol)

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى، قال حَدَّثَنَا إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الْفَرْوِيُّ، قال حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ، عَنْ عُمَارَةَ بْنِ غَزِيَّةَ، عَنْ عَاصِمِ بْنِ عُمَرَ بْنِ قَتَادَةَ، عَنْ مَحْمُودِ بْنِ لَبِيدٍ، عَنْ قَتَادَةَ بْنِ النُّعْمَانِ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏ "‏ إِذَا أَحَبَّ اللَّهُ عَبْدًا حَمَاهُ الدُّنْيَا كَمَا يَظَلُّ أَحَدُكُمْ يَحْمِي سَقِيمَهُ الْمَاءَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى وَفِي الْبَابِ عَنْ صُهَيْبٍ وَأُمِّ الْمُنْذِرِ ‏.‏ وَهَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ غَرِيبٌ ‏.‏ وَقَدْ رُوِيَ هَذَا الْحَدِيثُ عَنْ مَحْمُودِ بْنِ لَبِيدٍ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم مُرْسَلاً ‏.‏ حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ حُجْرٍ، قال أَخْبَرَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ، عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ أَبِي عَمْرٍو، عَنْ عَاصِمِ بْنِ عُمَرَ بْنِ قَتَادَةَ، عَنْ مَحْمُودِ بْنِ لَبِيدٍ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم نَحْوَهُ وَلَمْ يَذْكُرْ فِيهِ عَنْ قَتَادَةَ بْنِ النُّعْمَانِ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى وَقَتَادَةُ بْنُ النُّعْمَانِ الظَّفَرِيُّ هُوَ أَخُو أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ لأُمِّهِ وَمَحْمُودُ بْنُ لَبِيدٍ قَدْ أَدْرَكَ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَرَآهُ وَهُوَ غُلاَمٌ صَغِيرٌ ‏.‏

Qatadah bin An-Nu'man narrated that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) said:"When Allah loves a slave, He prevents him from the world, just as one of you prevents his sick from water." Another chain reports a similar narration

حَدَّثَنَا عَبَّاسُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الدُّورِيُّ، قال حَدَّثَنَا يُونُسُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ، قال حَدَّثَنَا فُلَيْحُ بْنُ سُلَيْمَانَ، عَنْ عُثْمَانَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ التَّيْمِيِّ، عَنْ يَعْقُوبَ بْنِ أَبِي يَعْقُوبَ، عَنْ أُمِّ الْمُنْذِرِ، قَالَتْ دَخَلَ عَلَىَّ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَمَعَهُ عَلِيٌّ وَلَنَا دَوَالٍ مُعَلَّقَةٌ قَالَتْ فَجَعَلَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَأْكُلُ وَعَلِيٌّ مَعَهُ يَأْكُلُ ‏.‏ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم لِعَلِيٍّ ‏"‏ مَهْ مَهْ يَا عَلِيُّ فَإِنَّكَ نَاقِهٌ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ فَجَلَسَ عَلِيٌّ وَالنَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَأْكُلُ ‏.‏ قَالَتْ فَجَعَلْتُ لَهُمْ سِلْقًا وَشَعِيرًا فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏ يَا عَلِيُّ مِنْ هَذَا فَأَصِبْ فَإِنَّهُ أَوْفَقُ لَكَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ غَرِيبٌ لاَ نَعْرِفُهُ إِلاَّ مِنْ حَدِيثِ فُلَيْحٍ ‏.‏ وَيُرْوَى عَنْ فُلَيْحٍ عَنْ أَيُّوبَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ ‏.‏ حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَشَّارٍ، قال حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عَامِرٍ، وَأَبُو دَاوُدَ قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا فُلَيْحُ بْنُ سُلَيْمَانَ، عَنْ أَيُّوبَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، عَنْ يَعْقُوبَ، عَنْ أُمِّ الْمُنْذِرِ الأَنْصَارِيَّةِ، فِي حَدِيثِهِ قَالَتْ دَخَلَ عَلَيْنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَذَكَرَ نَحْوَ حَدِيثِ يُونُسَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ إِلاَّ أَنَّهُ قَالَ ‏"‏ أَنْفَعُ لَكَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ وَقَالَ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَشَّارٍ وَحَدَّثَنِيهِ أَيُّوبُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ ‏.‏ هَذَا حَدِيثٌ جَيِّدٌ غَرِيبٌ ‏.‏

Umm Al-Mundhir said:"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) entered upon me, while `Ali was with him, and we had a cluster of unripe dates hanging." She said: "The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) began eating, and `Ali ate with him. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to `Ali: 'Stop, stop, for you are still recovering.' So `Ali sat and the Prophet (ﷺ) ate." She said: "I made some chard and barley for them, so the Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'O `Ali eat from this, for indeed it will be more suitable for you." Another chain reports a similar narration

قيل : هذا من أدل شيء على فقه الصحابة في أحوال القلوب وأعمالها ومعرفتهم بأدويتها وأدوائها وأنهم هم أطباء القلوب دون المنحرفين عن طريقتهم الذين داووا أمراض القلوب بأعظم أدوائها فكانوا كالمداوي من السقم بالسم القاتل وهكذا والله فعلوا بكثير من الأدوية التي ركبوها أو بأكثرها فاتفق قلة الأطباء وكثرة المرضى وحدوث أمراض مزمنة لم تكن في السلف والعدول عن الدواء النافع الذي ركبه الشارع وميل المريض إلى ما يقوي مادة المرض فاشتد البلاء وتفاقم الأمر وامتلأت الدور والطرقات والأسواق من المرضى وقام كل جهول يطبب الناس

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والقلب المريض : إن غلب عليه مرضه التحق بالميت القاسي وإن غلبت عليه صحته التحق بالسليم

وكذلك القلب المريض بالشهوة فإنه لضعفه يميل إلى ما يعرض له من ذلك بحسب قوة المرض وضعفه

فإيمان صاحب القبائح كقوة المريض على حسب قوة مرضه وضعفه

فهذه هي أجزاء إياك نعبد وإياك نستعين فإذا ركبها الطبيب اللطيف العالم بالمرض واستعملها المريض حصل بها الشفاء التام وما نقص من الشفاء فهو لفوات جزء من أجزائها أو اثنين أو أكثر

Breaking bad news to patients with cancer: A randomized control trial of a brief communication skills training module incorporating the stories and preferences of actual patients.: Objective: This study tested the effectiveness of a brief, learner-centered, breaking bad news (BBN) communication skills training module using objective evaluation measures. Methods: This randomized control study (N=66) compared intervention and control groups of students (n=28) and residents' (n=38) objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) performance of communication skills using Common Ground Assessment and Breaking Bad News measures. Results: Follow-up performance scores of interven

Individual training at the undergraduate level to promote competence in breaking bad news in oncology.: Objective: Training medical students in breaking bad news (BBN) in oncology may be key to improve patient care in an area where many physicians tend to be uncomfortable. Given the lack of evidence in the literature, this study aimed to assess empirically the impact of 2 teaching strategies to prepare students for the task of BBN in oncology: one-to-one simulated patient (SP) training with individual feedback (intervention group) vs small-group SP training with collective feedback (comparison gro

Factors that influence cancer patients' and relatives' anxiety following a three-person medical consultation: impact of a communication skills training program for physicians.: Background: No study has yet assessed the impact of physicians' skills acquisition after a communication skills training program on changes in patients' and relatives' anxiety following a three-person medical consultation. This study aimed at comparing, in a randomized study, the impact, on patients' and relatives' anxiety, of a basic communication skills training program and the same program consolidated by consolidation workshops and at investigating physicians' communication variables associa

The use of simulation in medical student education on the topic of breaking bad news: A systematic review.: Background: Simulated patients (SPs) are widely used, but the most effective way of utilising them in undergraduate breaking bad news (BBN) medical education is unknown. Objectives: To conduct a systematic review into SP's use in developing BBN skills in medical students. Methods: 14 databases searched with the terms "Medical education", "Patient simulation", "Bad news". Data was systematically extracted, and thematic analysis undertaken. Results: Of 2117 articles screened, 29 publications met t

Is it possible to improve the breaking bad news skills of residents when a relative is present? A randomised study.: Background: Although patients with cancer are often accompanied by a relative during breaking bad news (BBN) consultations, little is known regarding the efficacy of training programmes designed to teach residents the communication skills needed to break bad news in a triadic consultation. Methods: Residents were randomly assigned to a 40-h dyadic and triadic communication skills training programme (n=48) or a waiting list (n=47). A simulated BBN triadic consultation was audiotaped at baseline,

The effect of communication skills training on residents' physiological arousal in a breaking bad news simulated task.: Objective: Breaking bad news (BBN) is a complex task which involves dealing cognitively with different relevant dimensions and a challenging task which involves dealing with intense emotional contents. No study however has yet assessed in a randomized controlled trial design the effect of a communication skills training on residents' physiological arousal during a BBN task. Methods: Residents' physiological arousal was measured, in a randomized controlled trial design, by heart rate and salivary

Cultural health capital and the interactional dynamics of patient-centered care.

As intuitive and inviting as it may appear, the concept of patient-centered care has been difficult to conceptualize, institutionalize and operationalize. Informed by Bourdieu's concepts of cultural capital and habitus, we employ the framework of cultural health capital to uncover the ways in which both patients' and providers' cultural resources, assets, and interactional styles influence their abilities to mutually achieve patient-centered care. Cultural health capital is defined as a specialized collection of cultural skills, attitudes, behaviors and interactional styles that are valued, leveraged, and exchanged by both patients and providers during clinical interactions. In this paper, we report the findings of a qualitative study conducted from 2010 to 2011 in the Western United States. We investigated the various elements of cultural health capital, how patients and providers used …

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The construction of power in family medicine bedside teaching: a video observation study.

Introduction: Bedside teaching is essential for helping students develop skills, reasoning and professionalism, and involves the learning triad of student, patient and clinical teacher. Although current rhetoric espouses the sharing of power, the medical workplace is imbued with power asymmetries. Power is context-specific and although previous research has explored some elements of the enactment and resistance of power within bedside teaching, this exploration has been conducted within hospital rather than general practice settings. Furthermore, previous research has employed audio-recorded rather than video-recorded observation and has therefore focused on language and para-language at the expense of non-verbal communication and human-material interaction. Methods: A qualitative design was adopted employing video- and audio-recorded observations of seven bedside teaching encounters (BT…

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Disclosure of child sexual abuse by adolescents: a qualitative in-depth study.

This qualitative study aimed to study the process of disclosure by examining adolescents from the general population who had experienced child sexual abuse (CSA). Twenty-six sexually victimized adolescents (23 girls, 3 boys; age: 15-18 years) participated in a qualitative face-to-face in-depth interview on different aspects of disclosure. A qualitative content analysis was conducted following Mayring and using the qualitative data analysis program Atlas.ti. In addition, quantitative correlation analyses were calculated to identify factors associated with disclosure. Less than one third of participants immediately disclosed CSA to another person. In most cases, recipients of both immediate and delayed disclosure were peers. More than one third of participants had never disclosed the abuse to a parent. Main motives for nondisclosure to parents were lack of trust or not wanting to burden th…

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Examining the pathways linking lower socioeconomic status and advanced melanoma.

Background: Low socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with more advanced melanoma at diagnosis and decreased survival. Exploring the pathways linking lower SES and thicker melanoma will help guide public and professional strategies to reduce deaths. Methods: The authors surveyed 566 newly diagnosed patients at Stanford University Medical Center, Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, and University of Michigan. SES was assessed by education level (high school/general education degree or less [HS], associate/technical school degree, or ≥college graduate). All data was obtained by self-report among patients within three months of their diagnosis. Results: HS-educated individuals were significantly more likely than college graduates to believe that melanoma was not very serious (odds ratio [OR], 2.90; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.79-4.71) and were less likely to know the asymm…

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The legacy of altruism in health care: the promotion of empathy, prosociality and humanism.

Objectives: This study aimed to examine concepts of altruism and empathy among medical students and professionals in conjunction with health care initiatives designed to support the maintenance of these qualities. Methods: We searched for the terms 'altruism', 'altruistic', 'helping', 'prosocial behaviour' and 'empathy' in the English-language literature published from 1980 to the present within the Ovid MEDLINE, PsycInfo and PubMed databases. We used conceptual analysis to examine the relationships among altruism, empathy and related prosocial concepts in health care in order to understand how such factors may relate to emotional and career burnout, cynicism, decreased helping and decreased patient-centredness in care. Results: Altruistic ideals and qualities of empathy appear to decrease among some medical students as they progress through their education. During this process, students…

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"Telling my husband I have HIV is too heavy to come out of my mouth": pregnant women's disclosure experiences and support needs following antenatal HIV testing in eastern Uganda.

Introduction: Disclosure of HIV serostatus by women to their sexual partners is critical for the success of the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) programme as an integrated service in antenatal care. We explored pregnant HIV-positive and HIV-negative women's partner disclosure experiences and support needs in eastern Uganda. Methods: This was a qualitative study conducted at Mbale Regional Referral Hospital in eastern Uganda between January and May 2010. Data collection was through in-depth interviews with 15 HIV-positive and 15 HIV-negative pregnant women attending a follow up antenatal clinic (ANC) at Mbale Hospital, and six key informant interviews with health workers at the clinic. Data management was done using NVivo version 9, and a content thematic approach was used for analysis. Results: All HIV-negative women had disclosed their HIV status to their sexual…

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The effect of surgeon empathy and emotional intelligence on patient satisfaction.

We investigated the associations of surgeons' emotional intelligence and surgeons' empathy with patient-surgeon relationships, patient perceptions of their health, and patient satisfaction before and after surgical procedures. We used multi-source approaches to survey 50 surgeons and their 549 outpatients during initial and follow-up visits. Surgeons' emotional intelligence had a positive effect (r = .45; p < .001) on patient-rated patient-surgeon relationships. Patient-surgeon relationships had a positive impact on patient satisfaction before surgery (r = .95; p < .001). Surgeon empathy did not have an effect on patient-surgeon relationships or patient satisfaction prior to surgery. But after surgery, surgeon empathy appeared to have a significantly positive and indirect effect on patient satisfaction through the mediating effect of patients' self-reported health status (r = .21; p < .0…

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Effects of written emotional disclosure on implicit self-esteem and body image.

Objectives: Negative body image has a significant impact on self-esteem, disordered eating, and general health. Writing about distressing events and experiences has been found to have beneficial effects on psychological and physical health outcomes. This study investigated whether a written self-disclosure intervention, compared to a writing about body image success stories (WSS) intervention, had beneficial effects on self-esteem and body image. Design and methods: One hundred and fifty-eight women (aged 18-22 years) were allocated to either: written emotional disclosure (WED); WSS; or a control, non-emotional writing condition. All measures were completed at baseline and at follow-up 4 weeks later. Results: A condition by time interaction was observed for implicit self-esteem, such that levels of self-esteem were improved 4 weeks later in the WED condition. Implicit self-esteem was als…

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"HIV isn't me…": HIV+ adolescents' experiences in a positive context of support and treatment.

We describe the experiences of a sample of Canadian HIV+ youth whose intact adolescent identities contrast sharply with the expected identity challenges of persons living with a serious, chronic disease. We first showcase the positive HIV+ identities emerging from the successful management of HIV+ status through long-term HIV-related medical care and established pharmaceutical regimes. Second, we describe the medical, familial, and broader social context of support in which these adolescents' are negotiating HIV. Finally, we highlight the youth's expectations of future, specific identity and role challenges regarding intimacy and sexuality-related to disclosure of their private HIV+ identities and their embodied HIV+ status. Continued social and medical supports will be key to their emergence into adulthood as healthy HIV+ persons; with such supports, these youths' experiences highlight …

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The influence of ethnicity on the extent of, and reasons underlying, delay in general practitioner consultation in patients with RA.

Objective: Delay in assessment by rheumatologists of patients with new-onset RA is an important determinant of delay in treatment initiation. The influence of ethnicity on delay in assessment has not been addressed. We studied the extent of delay in patients of South Asian origin compared with other patients and the reasons underlying this delay. Methods: Data were collected from 272 patients with RA at the time of assessment by a rheumatologist; 43 were of South Asian origin. Delays were recorded at the level of the patient seeking advice from the general practitioner (GP), the GP referring to secondary care and the rheumatologist seeing the patient after the referral had been made. In addition, using qualitative methods, we assessed the reasons underlying delay in help-seeking behaviour in 10 patients of South Asian origin. Results: Patient delay was significantly longer in patients of…

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End-of-life care preferences and needs: perceptions of patients with chronic kidney disease.

Background and objectives: Despite high mortality rates, surprisingly little research has been done to study chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients' preferences for end-of-life care. The objective of this study was to evaluate end-of-life care preferences of CKD patients to help identify gaps between current end-of-life care practice and patients' preferences and to help prioritize and guide future innovation in end-of-life care policy. Design, setting, participants, & measurements: A total of 584 stage 4 and stage 5 CKD patients were surveyed as they presented to dialysis, transplantation, or predialysis clinics in a Canadian, university-based renal program between January and April 2008. Results: Participants reported relying on the nephrology staff for extensive end-of- life care needs not currently systematically integrated into their renal care, such as pain and symptom management, a…

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Surgical "buy-in": the contractual relationship between surgeons and patients that influences decisions regarding life-supporting therapy.

Objective: There is a general consensus by intensivists and nonsurgical providers that surgeons hesitate to withdraw life-sustaining therapy on their operative patients despite a patient's or surrogate's request to do so. The objective of this study was to examine the culture and practice of surgeons to assess attitudes and concerns regarding advance directives for their patients who have high-risk surgical procedures. Design: A qualitative investigation using one-on-one, in-person interviews with open-ended questions about the use of advance directives during perioperative planning. Consensus coding was performed using a grounded theory approach. Data accrual continued until theoretical saturation was achieved. Modeling identified themes and trends, ensuring maximal fit and faithful data representation. Setting: Surgical practices in Madison and Milwaukee, WI. Subjects: Physicians invol…

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The effects of stress and coping on surgical performance during simulations.

Objective: This study investigates the effects of surgeons' stress levels and coping strategies on surgical performance during simulated operations. Methods: Thirty surgeons carried out each a non-crisis and a crisis scenario of a simulated operation. Surgeons' stress levels were assessed by several measures: self-assessments and observer ratings of stress, heart rate, heart rate variability, and salivary cortisol. Coping strategies were explored qualitatively and quantified to a coping score. Experience in surgery was included as an additional predictor. Outcome measures consisted of technical surgical skills using Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skill (OSATS), nontechnical surgical skills using Observational Teamwork Assessment for Surgery (OTAS), and the quality of the operative end product using End Product Assessment (EPA). Uni- and multivariate linear regression were u…

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Threat and challenge: cognitive appraisal and stress responses in simulated trauma resuscitations.

OBJECTIVES Training and practice in medicine are inherently stressful. Research into the effects of acute stressors has revealed significant variability in individual responses to stressors, with performance impairments occurring in those who demonstrate elevated subjective and physiological responses. Cognitive appraisals (subjective assessment of situational demands and available resources) of a stressor have been proposed as a predictor variable in stress responses. However, the relationship between cognitive appraisal and stress responses has not been tested empirically in complex realistic situations. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which cognitive appraisal affects a medical trainee's subjective and physiological stress responses to high-acuity simulated clinical situations. METHODS Thirteen emergency medicine and general surgery residents participated in h…

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Communication matters: the impact of communication and participation in decision making on breast cancer patients' depression and quality of life.

Objective: This study explored the impact of breast cancer patients' experiences of physician-patient communication and participation in decision making on patient depression and quality of life three and six months after primary treatment. Methods: Participants were 135 German breast cancer patients, recruited within a week after the beginning of treatment. Women were asked to complete a self-administered questionnaire at baseline and three and six months later. Results: Patients who rated their level of information at baseline as high were less depressed after three (p=.010) and six months (p<.001) and experienced higher quality of life after three (p<.001) and six months (p=.049). Patients who participated as much as they had wanted were more satisfied with the decision making process (p<.001) and had lower depression scores three months later (p=.005). The level of participation itse…

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Implementing decision and communication aids to facilitate patient-centered care in breast cancer: a case study.

Objective: Decision Services (DS) provide support for breast cancer patients at the University of California, San Francisco to help ensure patient-centered care. Methods: We examined a case study to explore whether our program practices matched our program theory, and what the patient in the case thought was effective and ineffective about our decision support interventions. Results: The patient relied on a decision aid to educate her husband about her condition; felt that her question list contributed to a productive and efficient consultation with her oncologist; credited an audio-recording with helping her remember to follow-up with a genetic counselor; and reviewed the consultation summary 30 days into treatment in order to reflect on her decision. The patient rated the interventions highly on surveys, and experienced desirable reductions in decisional conflict, and improvements in k…

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Surrogate decision-makers' perspectives on discussing prognosis in the face of uncertainty.

Rationale: Many physicians are reluctant to discuss a patient's prognosis when there is significant prognostic uncertainty. Objectives: We sought to understand surrogate decision makers' views regarding whether physicians should discuss prognosis in the face of uncertainty. Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews with 179 surrogates for 142 incapacitated patients at high risk of death in four intensive care units at an academic medical center. The interviews explored surrogates' attitudes about whether physicians should discuss prognosis when they cannot be certain their prognostic estimates are correct. We used constant comparative methods to analyze the transcripts. Validation methods included triangulation by multidisciplinary analysis and member checking. Measurements and main results: Eighty-seven percent (155/179) of surrogates wanted physicians to discuss an uncertain pro…

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How does stigma "get under the skin"?: the mediating role of emotion regulation.

Stigma is a risk factor for mental health problems, but few studies have considered how stigma leads to psychological distress. The present research examined whether specific emotion-regulation strategies account for the stigma-distress association. In an experience-sampling study, rumination and suppression occurred more on days when stigma-related stressors were reported than on days when these stressors were not reported, and rumination mediated the relationship between stigma-related stress and psychological distress. The effect of social support on distress was moderated by the concealability of the stigma: Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) respondents reported more isolation and less social support than African American respondents subsequent to experiencing stigma-related stressors, whereas African Americans reported greater social support than LGB participants. Social isolation me…

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Contact among families who share the same sperm donor.

Objective: To examine the experience of contact among families who share the same sperm donor and the purpose served by contact. Design: Study 1: retrospective survey; study 2: archival data analysis. Setting: Donor insemination (DI) program. Patient(s): Study 1: 14 parents from the first cohort of matched families; study 2: Archival data about 515 families from the DI program. Intervention(s): Study 1: Interview of parents via anonymous mail-back survey; study 2: none. Main outcome measure(s): Study 1: Survey questions focused on the family, contact experience, and relationship to the matched family. Study 2: Comparison of families in the matching service to DI program families on family structure, parity, and type of donor (anonymous or open-identity). Result(s): Study 1: Single women and lesbian couples headed most families. Parents reported positive experiences with contact. Reasons …

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Patients' self-criticism is a stronger predictor of physician's evaluation of prognosis than pain diagnosis or severity in chronic pain patients.

Unlabelled: The experience of pain is influenced by patients' personality, social and cultural background, and patient-doctor interaction. This study examines the role of self-reported pain, pain diagnosis, age, gender, depression, and the personality trait of self-criticism (defined as individuals' tendency to set unrealistically high self-standards and to adopt a punitive stance toward one's self), in determining physicians' view of expected prognosis in response to chronic pain management. Before the first visit to a tertiary chronic pain clinic, patients provided information regarding their perceived pain, depression, and self-criticism. Immediately subsequent to the visit, physicians' evaluated expected prognosis. Participating physicians were blinded to the patient's psychosocial variables collected. Sixty-four patients with chronic pain (34 women and 30 men) with various diagnoses…

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Perinatal loss: a qualitative study in Northern Ireland.

This article describes the experiences of women in Northern Ireland who have experienced a miscarriage or stillbirth. Pregnancy loss encompasses several dimensions of loss for women, loss of the future, loss of self-identity, and the loss of anticipated parenthood. The study explored how women emotionally responded to loss and the care they received from medical staff. Burial arrangements for the remains of the baby are also explored. The methodology adopted a narrative approach based upon in-depth interviews with 23 women who attended pregnancy loss self-help groups. The women's narratives highlight their emotional responses to loss, the medicalization of perinatal grief, and burial arrangements. Women felt that their experience was emotionally negative in that they had been subjected to a rationalizing process of medicalization. The primary focus for the women was on the need to recove…

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Changing the culture around end-of-life care in the trauma intensive care unit.

Background: Ten percent to 20% of trauma patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) will die from their injuries. Providing appropriate end-of-life care in this setting is difficult and often late in the patients' course. Patients are young, prognosis uncertain, and conflict common around goals of care. We hypothesized that early, structured communication in the trauma ICU would improve end-of-life care practice. Methods: Prospective, observational, prepost study on consecutive trauma patients admitted to the ICU before and after a structured palliative care intervention was integrated into standard ICU care. The program included part I, early (at admission) family bereavement support, assessment of prognosis, and patient preferences, and part II (within 72 hours) interdisciplinary family meeting. Data on goals of care discussions, do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders and withdrawal o…

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Qualities men value when communicating with general practitioners: implications for primary care settings.

Objective: To determine the core qualities that men value when communicating with general practitioners in primary care settings. Design, setting and participants: In a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews in non-clinical environments, 36 white Australian men drawn from the Florey Adelaide Male Ageing Study, stratified by age and marital status, discussed their help-seeking behaviour and health service use. Participants were from the North West Adelaide region. Interviews were conducted between January and November 2005. Results: The core qualities men value when communicating with GPs in primary care settings include the adoption of a "frank approach", demonstrable competence, thoughtful use of humour, empathy, and prompt resolution of health issues. Conclusions: The core qualities men value when communicating with GPs are concordant with most key dimensions of a patient-c…

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Meeting the imperative to improve physician well-being: assessment of an innovative program.

Background: Improving physician health and performance is critical to successfully meet the challenges facing health systems that increasingly emphasize productivity. Assessing long-term efficacy and sustainability of programs aimed at enhancing physician and organizational well-being is imperative. Objective: To determine whether data-guided interventions and a systematic improvement process to enhance physician work-life balance and organizational efficacy can improve physician and organizational well-being. Design and participants: From 2000 to 2005, 22-32 physicians regularly completed 3 questionnaires coded for privacy. Results were anonymously reported to physicians and the organization. Data-guided interventions to enhance physician and organizational well-being were built on physician control over the work environment, order in the clinical setting, and clinical meaning. Measurem…

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Mental health and disclosure of HIV status in Zambian adolescents with HIV infection: implications for peer-support programs.

Objectives: To examine emotional and behavioural difficulties in HIV positive Zambian adolescents and to determine the relationship between disclosure of HIV status and mental health. Design: A cross-sectional survey. Methods: Participants were 127 HIV positive adolescents aged 11 to 15 years recruited through clinics in the Lusaka region. Mental health was assessed using the youth report version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Caregivers completed the parent SDQ. Sixty-two participants were invited for a semi-structured interview which probed views on attending a peer support group. Results: Compared to a British community sample participants had increased mental health problems (OR, 2.1), particularly emotional symptoms (OR = 3.6) and peer problems (OR = 7.1). The majority of children (n = 94) were receiving antiretroviral (ARV) treatment, but only 48 children (3…

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