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Inglese 3 - Coggle Diagram

- - - - However, even apparently minor pain or other symptoms may cause suffering if they are believed to have a life-threatening cause, such as, for example, cancer. Pain can be debilitating and frustrating. It may interfere with sleep, work, activities and quality time with friends and family. Pain management provides relief so you can enjoy life. But treatment is complex and can lead to harmful effects if not properly administered and monitored. That’s why pain management may require the involvement of a physician anaesthesiologist who specialises in pain medicine, or a psychologist to help fight the depression that often arises with pain
      - Advances in research and the delivery of health care have reduced mortality from disease and extended life expectancy in developed countries. We are living longer, but are we necessarily living better? Those who would have died from their condition may now survive, but there is the emotional cost of long-term treatment and medical observation to consider. For example, a patient who has had a liver transplant must continue immunosuppression treatments for the rest of his life. Such patients must cope with a chronic condition and yet the emotional dimensions of these conditions are frequently overlooked, when medical care is considered. Concepts such as the “sick role” and “illness behaviour” have helped us understand the impact of disease and are familiar to most doctors. Yet challenges still exist in the recognition and management of the psychological and social dimensions of chronic illness.
      - A few issues that physicians should reflect on:
        
        the emotional dimensions of chronic conditions are often overlooked when medical care is considered;
        
        it can be difficult to diagnose depression in the medically ill, but diagnosis and treatment are essential;
        
        doctors may be well-equipped for the biomedical aspects of care, but not for the challenges of understanding the psychological, social, and cultural dimensions of illness and health;
        
        doctors can play an important part in helping their patients to maintain healthy coping skills;
        
        doctors should reflect on the emotional dimension of their work, including how professional development and training may improve professional satisfaction and patient care, and the important role that relationships and outside activities have in providing the necessary balance between therapy and well-being