Psychology 2036A/B Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Day Care, Psychoeducation, Colorectal Cancer
18 Nov 2019
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Department
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Professor
Ch 9 - The World of Health Care
Seeking Medical Care
• Most people don't seek medical advice every time a "symptom" arises
• People have difficulty deciphering and even noticing some symptoms
• Perceiving Symptoms:
o There are individual differences in the perception of symptoms
o Individuals who pay a lot of attention to their internal states are consistently more likely to
notice a symptom
o Personal factors like mood, traits, and stress level
o Age, gender, environment
Interpreting Symptoms
• Once a symptom is perceived, it must then be interpreted
• Influences:
1. Prior experience
2. Cultural factors
3. Family and friends
Seeking Help
• More likely to seek medical care:
o New
o Unexpected
o Painful
o Disruptive
o Highly visible
o Highly valued body parts
• Less likely to seek medical care:
o Recognizable
o Unimportant
o Explainable
Delaying Medical Care
• Stages of Delay
1. Appraisal delay
o The time it takes for a person to decide that a symptom is a sign of illness
2. Illness delay
o The time between recognizing one is ill and deciding to seek medical care
3. Behavioural delay
o The time that elapses between the decision to seek medical care and acting on the decision
4. Medical delay
o The interval between making an appointment and receiving medical care
The Hospital
• Distinct culture - interaction patterns, rules, rituals
• Almost 2.1 million Canadians were hospitalized in acute care facilities between April 2010 and
February 2011
• Only 1/4 of all hospitalizations today involve surgery
