While HIV/AIDS is no longer a death sentence, the long-standing discrimination and stigma attached to the infectious disorder have made patients more psychologically dependent on their doctors, with 30 percent of patients yearning for warmer and more empathetic communication with their physicians, the Taiwan Lourdes Association said yesterday.
Citing surveys conducted by the association over the past two years to gauge the quality of life of people with HIV/AIDS, association secretary-general Paul Hsu (徐森杰) said that while about 60 percent of the 954 respondents were satisfied with their doctors, more than 30 percent said they wished their physicians were more caring and compassionate.
“Unlike most chronic diseases, AIDS is often associated with negative images, which is why patients not only look to their doctors for professional advice, but also for warmth and support,” Hsu said.
Association director-general Matthew Wong (王永衡), who also serves as a permanent council member of the Taiwan AIDS Society, offered another perspective, citing a recent survey among 35 medical professionals and AIDS case managers.
“More than 60 percent of respondents said they are often the ones who bring up the topic of side effects during consultations, and expressed hope that their patients can play a more active role in discussing the discomforts they experience during their drug treatments,” Wang said.
In addition, the medical professionals and case managers said that only 40 percent of their patients were active self-managers, while 22 percent were passive and 12 percent were reluctant to discuss their condition or comply with their doctors’ orders, Wang said.
Wang urged patients to ask themselves three questions before going to their physicians: Have I suffered any side effect from taking my prescribed medications? Has my body changed in any way? And, has the treatment affected my job or personal relationships?
“Doing so allows patients and their doctors not only to better understand their conditions, but also to find a treatment option that is more suitable to their individual situations,” Wang said.
The Taipei Department of Health yesterday said it has launched a probe into a restaurant at Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store after a customer died of suspected food poisoning. A preliminary investigation on Sunday found missing employee health status reports and unsanitary kitchen utensils at Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in the department store’s basement food court, the department said. No direct relationship between the food poisoning death and the restaurant was established, as no food from the day of the incident was available for testing and no other customers had reported health complaints, it said, adding that the investigation is ongoing. Later
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