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Working and Treatment
I have been trying to digest the multitude of information included in the abstracts on the San Antonio website. One, No. 5080, written in easy to understand English, really hit home with me. The title is "Trade-offs between treatment and work: how insurance effects treatment completion." The authors queried patients about their treatment compliance, to see if there was a difference among patients with their own insurance vs. patients covered under a spouse's policy. Surprise, surprise, the more compliant patients had coverage through their spouse. The conclusion from the survey, recongnizing the realities of the working world, is, IMO, long overdue:
"Physicians choose the best course of treatment under the assumption that patients can dedicate themselves exclusively to treatment and recovery. It is well known that patient compliance affects clinical response to any given treatment plan. Our study indicates that job demands and the need for health insurance may negatively impact this compliance, and physicians may need to discuss this issue with patients during treatment planning. Physicians may then need to seek alternative treatments that reduce interference with the patient's work and therefore, increase treatment compliance and efficacy."
Amen!
Hopeful
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