Introduction
In healthcare, great importance is paid to how the patient’s well-being is reflected in the effectiveness and outcomes of the treatment. This aspect includes not only the physical condition of the individual but also other factors that may be equally important. Among them may be psychological, sociological, and environmental aspects that affect a person’s experience with health concerns. Studying these factors is critical as it will improve healthcare quality and understanding of ill health. As part of this work, the psychological and social factors affecting the patient and the treatment process will be studied.
Adult Patient Experience
Before proceeding to a detailed consideration of the contribution of social and psychological factors to patients’ experiences, it is necessary to study case studies of adult patients experiencing health problems due to poor health. This procedure will enable professionals to understand how these aspects impact the receipt of medical care. Additionally, they will allow a clearer understanding of which factors impacted individuals most significantly.
In the first case, patient K went to a medical institution with complaints of itching in the genitals. She noted that they lasted for quite a long time, which caused the woman discomfort in everyday and sexual life. When asked why the woman did not go to the doctor earlier, the specialists received an answer that she was afraid. She had a negative experience visiting the doctor with the same problem. Thus, due to the previous encounter with a medical specialist, it became an obstacle for her to receive medical care, which led to the worsening of symptoms and the critical need to visit a doctor.
The second case concerns the experience of adult patient X, who was admitted to a healthcare institution with complaints of severe abdominal pain. Doctors diagnosed a critical condition, which was characterized by the presence of foci and ulcerative lesions of the stomach. After the operation, medical specialists conducted a conversation with the patient, in which it became known what caused the refusal to visit the doctor. The man replied that, due to his economic situation, which did not allow him to obtain insurance, he could not afford coverage for numerous tests and a doctor’s visit. Moreover, he noted that in the area where he lives, there is a small number of doctors to whom he can get treatment, and he cannot reach others.
Psychological and Sociological Factors
When considering the cases provided by adult patients, several psychological and social factors can be identified that have influenced their experiences when interacting with the healthcare field. Hence, in the first case, patient K was influenced by such psychological factors as stress and abnormal illness behaviour. The first one has particular relevance for many patients and primarily hinders the timely provision of medical care. In the case of K, the woman was stressed because of her previous experience of going to the doctor, who treated her problem unprofessionally. Because of this, she had a fear that she had a severe venereal disease, which negatively affected her desire and motivation to visit another specialist.
In addition, the situation has worsened with the appearance of abnormal illness behaviour. It is characterized as a “maladaptive mode of experiencing, perceiving, and responding to one’s health status” (Yamamoto et al., 2022, p. 123). Thus, the woman often overlooked her symptoms and, in their absence, considered it unnecessary to visit a doctor. Because of this neglect, her symptoms became worse and began to manifest themselves in an irregular menstrual cycle, constant discomfort, and disruption of daily life.
In the case of patient X, the social factors that impacted his experience of interaction with the healthcare field were the economic situation and the low availability of medical institutions. It is noted that back in the nineteenth century, “reports revealed how those who were poor experienced more disease and illness than those who were rich” (Nettleton, 2013, p. 169). This situation is similar to that in the United Kingdom, which calls for a certain level of concern.
In the proposed case, due to the inability to obtain the necessary health insurance, the patient did not have the opportunity to visit a highly qualified specialist for examination and diagnosis. Another factor was the insufficient number of medical institutions that could assist the patient. The lack of hospitals and clinics that could provide free assistance in the low-income area where the patient lives also affected his limited ability to address the health problem that had arisen.
Reasons for Chosen Area of Ill Health
One of the primary reasons for studying this area of ill health is the need to understand how external and internal factors interact and affect the well-being of patients. Based on the examples given, it is possible to conclude that psychological and social factors are a combination of the personal experiences of individuals, their attitudes towards the problem, and the opportunities they had. This aspect has been manifested in the patient’s experience of healthcare. Therefore, medical specialists can recognize the interplay of factors in the field of ill health to enhance the outcomes and processes of delivering medical care to patients.
Social and psychological factors severely impact the treatment process and its outcomes. Due to this circumstance, there is a need to research this area of ill health and find ways to minimize its impact on patients and their experience in the medical field. Such a field of knowledge as ill health and concerns about well-being can arise in every adult patient. The primary objective of conducting research on this topic and training healthcare professionals is to disseminate awareness and knowledge about it. Thus, individuals will be allowed to improve their literacy in this area and minimize the impact of psychological and social factors on access and receipt of medical services.
The cases under study are essential for analysis, as they are among the most frequent representations of the problem under discussion. Social factors such as stress and abnormal illness behaviour often become the main determinants in the loss of the desire to visit a doctor and get help, which critically reduces the quality of public health. Regarding social factors, limited access to healthcare due to economic status and a lack of access to medical services also negatively impact patients. Thus, the primary reason for analyzing this area of ill health and health concerns is the increased awareness among patients and healthcare providers about the impact of various factors on patient experiences and the treatment process.
Impact of Factors on Patients’ Experience
Within the framework of this work, social and psychological factors that critically impact the patient’s experience in contacting healthcare institutions were identified. First, it is worth emphasizing that these aspects are among the most common for individuals and hurt the entire medical field. Patients’ experiences should not be influenced by these factors, which can impact their well-being and attitude toward healthcare, necessitating a detailed study of this area.
First, this paper will examine the psychological factors that hinder patients’ experience in medical facilities. The psychology of health has a significant impact on this area. It is “the aggregate of the specific educational, scientific and professional contribution of the discipline of psychology to the promotion and maintenance of health, treatment of illness and related dysfunction” (Ogden, 2019, p. 3). This scientific field has been developed relatively recently, but is progressing quickly and effectively. Moreover, its distinctive feature is the refutation of the spiritual connection between the body and mind, and the emphasis on the psychological processes that determine the treatment process and the causes of the disease.
Health psychology emphasizes that multiple factors, including psychological ones, significantly impact a person’s overall well-being. This field of science is innovative because it challenges the concept that patients are passive victims (Ogden, 2019). Hence, applying this knowledge to the described case of patient K, it can be said that a woman experiencing stress and resorting to abnormal illness behaviour is responsible for the deterioration of her well-being.
Because patients are significantly affected by a combination of factors, treatment should be carried out accordingly. Thus, when health concerns are detected, specialists treat physical symptoms and the individual’s psychological state. This comprehensive approach can significantly increase the possibility of obtaining satisfactory treatment outcomes. Additionally, this approach offers a valuable aspect of patient education. In other words, when undergoing treatment, people also learn about how psychological factors affect them and what strategies they can apply to overcome possible negative emotions and experiences.
Stress as a psychological factor requires special attention due to its prevalence among most patients. Ogden (2019) emphasizes that “stress response was elicited if the individual perceived a potentially stressful event as actually being stressful” (p. 225). In other words, according to the transactional stress model, individuals can experience stress even when they are not directly involved in the situation that should be causing it.
In the case of patient K, this happened after a traumatic experience of visiting a specialist who showed unprofessional behaviour. As a result of this event, the woman felt fear and was stressed about facing a similar situation again. This psychological factor led to the fact that she constantly postponed doctor’s appointments, which adversely affected her health and caused more health concerns.
Another psychological factor that became the focus of this work was abnormal illness behaviour. As previously mentioned, this behaviour involves a misguided attitude towards one’s status and health. Henceforth, patient K neglected unpleasant symptoms not characterized by constancy and did not visit a medical specialist. In the context of this problem, it is essential to consider the concept of illness cognition.
It consists of “a patient’s implicit common-sense beliefs about their illness” (Ogden, 2019, p. 49). This phenomenon contributes to the formation of coping mechanisms for the patient, including self-perception and aspects that should be feared when specific symptoms occur. Therefore, the possible cause of the disorder of the symptoms of the disease by patient K was inconstancy and mild anxiety on her part. Moreover, it can be assumed that the woman did not consider it necessary to consult a doctor because of the low manifestation of symptoms. This abnormal illness behaviour contributed to the deterioration of the woman’s condition.
In addition to psychological factors, the welfare and experience of patients are influenced by social factors. It is worth noting that this aspect has a wide-ranging influence, as it is directly related to a large set of external factors. Studying the impact of these aspects can provide several advantages. First, this will help increase patients’ education regarding the healthcare sector. Secondly, research on the impact of social factors on patients can help attract attention and raise awareness about issues such as inequality and limited access to healthcare services.
To understand the value of social factor analysis, it is helpful to examine the situation in the United Kingdom. Research stated that “inequitable access can result in particular groups receiving less care relative to their needs, or more inappropriate or sub-optimal care, than others, which often leads to poorer experiences, outcomes and health status” (Williams, 2022, para. 34). Another source noted that “for most of their lives, people in the poorest areas of England, on average, have more diagnosed illness over ten years earlier than those in the richest areas” (The Health Foundation, 2022, para. 5). Thus, based on this information, it can be concluded that the problem of inequality in obtaining health services as a social problem is relevant for the country.
In the case of patient X, for example, it was noted that one of the social factors affecting him was a low socioeconomic status. Poor living conditions and the small income of an individual become an obstacle to obtaining medical care. Due to the lack of financial ability to pay for health insurance, the patient ignored his symptoms for a long time. This seriously affected not only his well-being and general deterioration of health but also his ability to perform professional duties. Such social factors as being below the poverty line and low economic status have become determinants of the aggravation of the patient’s ill health.
It is possible to involve such a terrorist approach as the Social Determinants of Health theory in discussing this problem. It is engaged in the study of non-medical factors that affect the outcomes of the provision of health services (World Health Organization, n.d.). Poverty is one of the leading issues in this category and is critical for the population in developed and developing countries. Thus, this theoretical approach can be an approach to the case of patient X. The social factors that have affected his experience of interacting with the healthcare sector are low income, that is, being in poverty, and higher out-of-pocket costs, which an individual cannot afford.
The social factor that became decisive for Patient X was the insufficient medical institutions to help him with his health concerns. Due to the lack of medical insurance and the inability to pay high bills for health services, the man ignored his problem for a long time and engaged in self-medication. In other words, he began to resort to the use of drugs that could have severe consequences and side effects since they were taken without an appointment with a specialist.
The problem of inequality regarding the availability of health services is a critically important social factor. Individuals may feel helpless in this area’s current situation and discrimination. Therefore, this social factor can become the basis for many other issues in modern society. To solve this problem, society and the country’s government need to draw attention to it. Policies and strategies must be implemented to empower healthcare professionals, regardless of economic status, race, or other backgrounds.
Conclusion
Conducting this study provided a significant understanding of the ill-health concept. First, it helped consolidate the knowledge that a large number of factors affect the well-being of patients. Among them may be social, psychological, environmental, and many others, which together can cause ill health and the need for medical care. As part of writing this paper, social and psychological factors were investigated.
When examining the literature, it was determined that they are the most common among patients and can be profoundly meaningful. This circumstance arises because these factors can negatively affect individuals and lead to a lack of desire or opportunity to visit a medical specialist for proper care. This is especially true for such social factors as inequality in access to health services and a person’s economic status. Due to the inability to have health insurance and a limited number of free health care points, patients of lower classes are more likely to suffer from ill health and health concerns.
Moreover, these factors directly result from the patient’s experience in the healthcare sector. In the above case, patient K experienced much stress when realizing the need to visit a medical specialist. A negative interaction with another doctor caused this reluctance and fear. Due to the false idea about doctors, the patient developed the idea that subsequent visits would be the same negative experience.
The awareness and nature of this vision determine the transactional model of stress. This approach allowed me to understand the mechanism of patient stress better when visiting a doctor, and understand which aspects should be paid attention to. This aspect is essential because such a psychological factor as stress substantially impacts patients’ physical condition. Thus, mitigating this aspect and deepening knowledge about it is necessary.
The study of abnormal illness behaviour as a psychological factor was critical to understanding the concept of ill health. This aspect is valuable to study, as it can provide medical professionals with an understanding of how patients respond to symptoms based on their decisions and how they are implemented. In the case of the patient, abnormal illness behaviour manifested itself in complete disregard for the symptoms of the disease and refusal to visit a doctor. Therefore, the primary goal of healthcare providers is to draw attention to such cases and disseminate educational initiatives for patients. This measure will help spread knowledge among individuals and limit the possibility of spreading abnormal illness behaviour.
In conclusion, this work contributed to the acquisition of knowledge that ill health, as a concept, is a complex phenomenon. This is because it includes a large number of different factors that need to be taken into account when studying patient cases. Social and psychological factors can seriously impact an individual and manifest themselves as stress, abnormal illness behaviour, difficulties associated with the economic situation, and inequality in the availability of medical services.
Thus, with a detailed study of this factor, one can gain greater awareness about ill health to obtain the most effective and successful outcomes. Furthermore, medical specialists are faced with paying attention to patient education. This is because when providing knowledge to patients, it is possible to limit the impact of social and psychological factors and improve the experience of individuals in interaction with the healthcare field.
Reference List
A major study outlines wide health inequalities in England. (2022). Web.
Nettleton, S. (2013) The sociology of health and illness. Polity.
Ogden, J. (2019) Health psychology. London: McGraw-Hill Education.
Social determinants of health. (n.d.). Web.
Williams, E., et al. (2022). What are health inequalities? Web.
Yamamoto, N., et al. (2022) ‘Illness behaviour: Pain clinic patients vs. psychiatry clinic patients’, Asian Journal of Medicine and Health, 20(9), pp. 120-124.