Patient concerns regarding chronic hepatitis B and C infection.
Counselling of patients with viral hepatitis is often limited to discussions about how the virus is transmitted. The aim of the present study was to document the principal concerns of patients suffering from chronic hepatitis B and C infection. The most common volunteered concerns were infecting family members (80.6%), infecting others (66.7%), side-effects of treatment (50.0%), disease progression to cirrhosis (44.4%), loss of employment (41.7%), liver transplantation (36.1%), social stigma (36.1%), change in lifestyle (33.3%), development of liver cancer (25%), costs and money (22.2%), fear of disease (5.6%) and psychological disease (5.6%). Health care providers who focus counselling efforts exclusively on viral transmission are unlikely to address other important concerns.
Alizadeh
A H M
AH
Research Centre of Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shaheed Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran. ahmaliver@yahoo.com
Ranjbar
M
M
Yadollahzadeh
M
M
D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003376:Counseling / Q000458:organization & administration; D018450:Disease Progression; D004651:Employment / Q000523:psychology; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy / Q000635:transmission; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy / Q000635:transmission; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D008019:Life Style; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000821:virology; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D020380:Needs Assessment / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000458:organization & administration; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D013240:Stereotyping; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population