title: How do patients and doctors-to-be perceive systemic lupus erythematosus?
abstract: The aim of the present study was to assess and compare illness perception of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) held by 6th-year medical students and patients suffering from SLE. The study group consisted of 104 students (66 women; 63.5 %), mean age 24.7 (±1), and 64 outpatients with SLE (60 women; 93.7 %). All patients were treated at a university rheumatology outpatient clinic. Mean patients' age was 44.3 years (±12.5). Mean duration of the disease was 11 years (±6.8). The Polish version of Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (B-IPQ) was used to assess five dimensions of illness perception. The students were asked to complete a modified version of B-IPQ designed to measure health professionals' illness perception. Significant differences were found in all but one B-IPQ scores. The students obtained significantly higher scores than the SLE patients in consequences, identity, concern and emotional response, whereas significantly lower scores in personal control, treatment control and understanding were noted among students. No differences were found in timeline scores. Medical students' perception of SLE is more threatening and more negative than that of patients'. Doctors-to-be perceive SLE as being less controllable, more burdensome and having more consequences than patients do. Additionally, they believe the disease causes more emotional concern. The article discusses possible explanations together with positive and negative aspects of the discrepancies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Medical University of Gdańsk, Ul. Dębinki 2, 80-211, Gdańsk, Poland. kpsauer@gumed.edu.pl.
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nowicka-Sauer
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Medical University of Gdańsk, Ul. Dębinki 2, 80-211, Gdańsk, Poland.
authors.forename: Małgorzata
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pietrzykowska
authors.affiliation: Department of Statistics, Gdańsk University, Ul. Armii Krajowej 101, Sopot, Poland.
authors.forename: Dorota
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Banaszkiewicz
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Connective Tissue Diseases and Geriatrics, Medical University of Gdańsk, Ul. Dębinki 7, Gdańsk, Poland.
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hajduk
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Connective Tissue Diseases and Geriatrics, Medical University of Gdańsk, Ul. Dębinki 7, Gdańsk, Poland.
authors.forename: Zenobia
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Czuszyńska
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Connective Tissue Diseases and Geriatrics, Medical University of Gdańsk, Ul. Dębinki 7, Gdańsk, Poland.
authors.forename: Żaneta
authors.initials: Ż
authors.lastname: Smoleńska
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001294:Attitude to Health; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010465:Perception; D013337:Students, Medical; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Common-sense model; Health professionals; Illness perception; Systemic lupus erythematosus