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Male subfertility clinic attenders' expectations of medical consultation
Author(s) -
Glover L.,
Gan K.,
Platt Z.,
Abel P. D.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
british journal of health psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.05
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 2044-8287
pISSN - 1359-107X
DOI - 10.1348/135910799168461
Subject(s) - disappointment , feeling , attendance , distress , psychology , patient satisfaction , clinical psychology , pregnancy , family medicine , medicine , social psychology , nursing , biology , economics , genetics , economic growth
Objective. To determine what patients considered important to gain from consultation, the extent to which these expectations were fulfilled and the relationship of this to patient satisfaction and distress. Congruence between patient and doctor expectations was also examined. Design. This was a questionnaire study using a repeated measures (pre‐ and postconsultation) design. Methods. Expectations of clinic attendance were assessed in 29 male clinic attenders. Participants completed questionnaires before and after consultation. Visual analogue scales were used to assess patient expectations of the consultation and the extent to which expectations were fulfilled. Results. Men rated increasing the chance of their partner conceiving as most important, with gaining information also rated highly. Informational expectations were rated more highly than discussing feelings. Following consultation, patients felt they had gained understanding and their expectations of having help with decision making were fulfilled. They rated their satisfaction with the consultation as high and distress during consultation low. Despite the fact that increasing chances of pregnancy was an important expectation, failure to fulfil this expectation did not relate to satisfaction. There was no significant correlation between doctor and patient ratings of distress. Conclusion. It appears that the medical consultation has a role beyond simply finding ways to increase the chance of pregnancy. For these men the benefits of increasing understanding seemed to outweigh the disappointment of not having pregnancy expectations increased as much as they had hoped for. Patients did not appear to be seeking emotional support from the consultation.