TY - JOUR
KW - Adult
KW - Aged
KW - Biomedical Technology
KW - China
KW - Cross-Sectional Studies
KW - Female
KW - Humans
KW - Male
KW - Medicine, Chinese Traditional/methods/psychology/utilization
KW - Middle Aged
KW - Patient Satisfaction
KW - Physician-Patient Relations
KW - Psychophysiologic Disorders
KW - Psychosomatic Medicine
KW - Psychotherapy/statistics & numerical data
KW - Questionnaires
KW - Somatoform Disorders/psychology/therapy
KW - Treatment Outcome
KW - Young Adult
AU - K. Fritzsche
AU - Z. Xudong
AU - K. Anselm
AU - S. Kern
AU - M. Wirsching
AU - R. Schaefert
A1 - 
AB - OBJECTIVE: Little is known about treatment for patients with medically unexplained symptoms (MUS) in China. This study investigates the treatment expectations and treatment satisfaction of patients with MUS in psychosomatic medicine, biomedicine, and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). METHOD: In a cross-sectional survey, n = 96 (10.3%) out of 931 participating patients were screened positive for multiple somatoform symptoms. These patients answered questionnaires concerning symptom duration, number of doctor visits, functional impairment, emotional distress, treatment expectations, treatment satisfaction, and empathy in the consultation. The physicians filled in a questionnaire about applied or recommended treatment. RESULTS: Most of the patients from psychosomatic medicine wanted psychotherapy. In TCM, 55% of the patients had already received TCM treatment and most of them wanted to continue TCM treatment. Patients in biomedicine did not express clear expectations; most of them had had no previous treatment. A combination of treatment methods was most prevalent in biomedicine in comparison to psychosomatic medicine and TCM. The outcome from the patients' point of view was significantly better in TCM than in psychosomatic medicine and biomedicine. Psychosomatic medicine's strength was the empathetic physician-patient interaction. CONCLUSIONS: From a biopsychosocial perspective, these results suggest that various treatment approaches with various emphases can be effective depending on the patient's complaints, his illness beliefs, and what the physician offers. The results will be verified in a larger multicenter longitudinal study.
BT - International journal of psychiatry in medicine
C5 - Medically Unexplained Symptoms
CP - 3
CY - United States
IS - 3
JF - International journal of psychiatry in medicine
N2 - OBJECTIVE: Little is known about treatment for patients with medically unexplained symptoms (MUS) in China. This study investigates the treatment expectations and treatment satisfaction of patients with MUS in psychosomatic medicine, biomedicine, and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). METHOD: In a cross-sectional survey, n = 96 (10.3%) out of 931 participating patients were screened positive for multiple somatoform symptoms. These patients answered questionnaires concerning symptom duration, number of doctor visits, functional impairment, emotional distress, treatment expectations, treatment satisfaction, and empathy in the consultation. The physicians filled in a questionnaire about applied or recommended treatment. RESULTS: Most of the patients from psychosomatic medicine wanted psychotherapy. In TCM, 55% of the patients had already received TCM treatment and most of them wanted to continue TCM treatment. Patients in biomedicine did not express clear expectations; most of them had had no previous treatment. A combination of treatment methods was most prevalent in biomedicine in comparison to psychosomatic medicine and TCM. The outcome from the patients' point of view was significantly better in TCM than in psychosomatic medicine and biomedicine. Psychosomatic medicine's strength was the empathetic physician-patient interaction. CONCLUSIONS: From a biopsychosocial perspective, these results suggest that various treatment approaches with various emphases can be effective depending on the patient's complaints, his illness beliefs, and what the physician offers. The results will be verified in a larger multicenter longitudinal study.
PP - United States
PY - 2011
SN - 0091-2174; 0091-2174
SP - 229
EP - 244
EP - 
T1 - The treatment of patients with medically unexplained physical symptoms in China: a study comparing expectations and treatment satisfaction in psychosomatic medicine, biomedicine, and traditional Chinese medicine
T2 - International journal of psychiatry in medicine
TI - The treatment of patients with medically unexplained physical symptoms in China: a study comparing expectations and treatment satisfaction in psychosomatic medicine, biomedicine, and traditional Chinese medicine
U1 - Medically Unexplained Symptoms
U2 - 22073762
VL - 41
VO - 0091-2174; 0091-2174
Y1 - 2011
ER -