TY - JOUR
KW - Humans
KW - Pilot Projects
KW - Primary Health Care
KW - Somatoform Disorders/diagnosis
AU - J. Garcia-Campayo
AU - L. M. Claraco
AU - C. Sanz-Carrillo
AU - E. Arevalo
AU - C. Monton
A1 - 
AB - Somatization disorder (SD) patients are difficult to treat and produce negative feelings in health professionals. Smith et al.'s guidelines have demonstrated cost-effectiveness in the treatment of these patients, but family doctors consider it difficult to put these into practice in the long term. The objective of this paper is to design and assess a pilot course, based on Smith's norms, to train general practitioners for the everyday management of SD patients in primary care. We have designed a 20-h practical course, using role-playing and video recording with standardized patients, and focusing on micro-skills recommended by the literature on the subject. Assessment of the efficacy of the course is made by evaluation of baseline and post course video recordings by researchers unaware of the order of the interviews. The comparison of baseline and post course assessments demonstrated a significant improvement in several key skills (giving a name to the illness, explaining the psychological and biological basis of the disease, and emphasizing stress reduction) but no change on others (explaining that SD is a well-known disorder, empowering the patient, not blaming the patient for his or her illness, and instilling hope). Finally, other skills such as assessing the patient's opinion of the illness, recognizing the reality of symptoms and informing that there is no life risk, were correctly done from the beginning and, therefore, showed no change. We found that training may facilitate the development of certain skills. However, some doctors' abilities might also require the use of techniques such as Balint groups to modify negative emotions, such as anger and fear, toward these patients.
BT - General hospital psychiatry
C5 - Medically Unexplained Symptoms
CP - 2
CY - United States
IS - 2
JF - General hospital psychiatry
N2 - Somatization disorder (SD) patients are difficult to treat and produce negative feelings in health professionals. Smith et al.'s guidelines have demonstrated cost-effectiveness in the treatment of these patients, but family doctors consider it difficult to put these into practice in the long term. The objective of this paper is to design and assess a pilot course, based on Smith's norms, to train general practitioners for the everyday management of SD patients in primary care. We have designed a 20-h practical course, using role-playing and video recording with standardized patients, and focusing on micro-skills recommended by the literature on the subject. Assessment of the efficacy of the course is made by evaluation of baseline and post course video recordings by researchers unaware of the order of the interviews. The comparison of baseline and post course assessments demonstrated a significant improvement in several key skills (giving a name to the illness, explaining the psychological and biological basis of the disease, and emphasizing stress reduction) but no change on others (explaining that SD is a well-known disorder, empowering the patient, not blaming the patient for his or her illness, and instilling hope). Finally, other skills such as assessing the patient's opinion of the illness, recognizing the reality of symptoms and informing that there is no life risk, were correctly done from the beginning and, therefore, showed no change. We found that training may facilitate the development of certain skills. However, some doctors' abilities might also require the use of techniques such as Balint groups to modify negative emotions, such as anger and fear, toward these patients.
PP - United States
PY - 2002
SN - 0163-8343; 0163-8343
SP - 101
EP - 105
EP - 
T1 - Assessment of a pilot course on the management of somatization disorder for family doctors
T2 - General hospital psychiatry
TI - Assessment of a pilot course on the management of somatization disorder for family doctors
U1 - Medically Unexplained Symptoms
U2 - 11869744
VL - 24
VO - 0163-8343; 0163-8343
Y1 - 2002
ER -