Health & Fitness - Power of doctors renders elderly passive

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Power of doctors renders elderly passive

GOTHENBURG, Sweden (UPI) -- Elderly patients feel insecure, apprehensive and passive when they meet with doctors, researchers in Sweden said.

Thesis study author Sandra Pennbrant of Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg in Sweden, said hierarchical structures, time pressure and traditions in the healthcare sector make elderly patients and their relatives passive when facing doctors and their positions of power.

The study was based on interviews with 20 elderly patients and their relatives in Gothenburg, Sweden, and about an equal number of doctors.

"We cannot disregard that the ability of doctors to communicate with elderly patients and their relatives could be improved, and that this shortcoming may explain why this group of patients feel insecure in the meeting with the doctor," Pennbrant, a nurse, said in a statement. "They don't feel at home in the healthcare system and sometimes have problems understanding the doctor."

The healthcare sector needs to become a learning organization in which medical personnel are trained to prevent misunderstandings in dealing with elderly patients and their relatives, Pennbrant said.

Copyright 2009 by United Press International

This news arrived on: 10/29/2009

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