Advanced Search

Journal Navigation

Journal Home

Subscriptions

Archive

Contact Us

Table of Contents

Click here to register

Palliative Medicine
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow References
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Right arrow Citing Articles via Scopus
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Johnston, M.
Right arrow Articles by Wright, S.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Johnston, M.
Right arrow Articles by Wright, S.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati  
What's this?

Communicating the diagnosis of motor neurone disease

Marie Johnston

School of Psychology, St Andrews Universitv. St Andrews. Fife

Louise Earll

Health Psychology Department, Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, Great Western Road, Gloucester

Elspeth Mitchell

Health Psychology Department, Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, Great Western Road, Gloucester

Valerie Morrison

School of Psychology, St Andrews University, St Andrews, Fife

Stephen Wright

t Department of Medical Psychology, Leicester General Hospital, Gwendolen Road, Leicester

Communication of the diagnosis of motor neurone disease (MND) is a particularly difficult task for doctors in view of the poor prognosis and the lack of significant treatment. This study examined patients' views of being given the diagnosis and of how it was communicated. Fifty people who had been diagnosed with MND more than six months previously were interviewed about their experience of the diagnosis. The majority reported positive aspects of being told, especially having a label for their condition. The most frequently mentioned critical aspect of how they were told was the directness and clarity with which they were given the information. Patients were more critical if the diagnosis was worse than expected (as it was for most patients) and more satisfied if they felt they had been able to ask questions. There was no evidence that unsatisfactory communications were associated with later mood disturbance. A longitudinal study is recommended to overcome limitations in this cross-sectional design.

Key Words: amyotrophic lateral sclerosis • adaptation • psychological • communication • affective disorders

Palliative Medicine, Vol. 10, No. 1, 23-34 (1996)
DOI: 10.1177/026921639601000105
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Palliat MedHome page
H. Carter, C. McKenna, R. MacLeod, and R. Green
Health professionals' responses to multiple sclerosis and motor neurone disease
Palliative Medicine, July 1, 1998; 12(5): 383 - 394.
[Abstract] [PDF]