Empirical Evaluation of Veterans' Perceived Non-Concordance with Providers Regarding Medically Unexplained Symptoms

Overview

Journal Couns Psychol

Publisher Sage Publications

Specialty Health Services

Date 2020 Feb 5

PMID 32015569

Citations 4

Authors

L Alison Phillips

Lisa M McAndrew

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Medically unexplained symptoms (MUS) are common among veterans and are difficult to treat. Optimal treatment entails continued care from providers, including primary care and counseling psychologists. Non-concordance between veterans' and providers' views of MUS may contribute to poor veteran satisfaction with care and possibly disengagement with care (e.g., non-adherence to treatment recommendations, including counseling and graded exercise). The current study surveyed 243 veterans with MUS post-deployment and evaluated the degree of non-concordance perceived by veterans with their primary care providers regarding their MUS and the effect of perceived non-concordance on treatment behaviors and outcomes. Many veterans in the current sample perceived non-concordance with their provider regarding their MUS (19% reporting quite a bit or complete disagreement). Perceived non-concordance (regarding MUS overall and specific causal perceptions) predicted important outcomes of interest, particularly veterans' satisfaction with their provider. Perceived concordance with primary care doctors may be required for sufficient adherence to MUS treatment recommendations, such as seeking and maintaining psychological counseling. Research should evaluate the effect of perceived concordance with the counseling psychologist on adherence to and outcomes from counseling for MUS.

Citing Articles

Treatment and life goals among veterans with Gulf War illness.

Sullivan N, Schorpp H, Crosky S, Thien S, Helmer D, Litke D PLoS One. 2023; 18(11):e0295168.

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Examining Clinical Presentation and Workup of Veterans with Irritable Bowel Syndrome in a Single Medical Centre: A Case Series.

Claassen P, Hinojosa T, Rai A, Riddle M J Mil Veterans Health. 2023; 30(4):22-26.

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Kane N, Anastasides N, Litke D, Helmer D, Hunt S, Quigley K PLoS One. 2021; 16(12):e0259341.

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Introducing the System for Observing Medical Alliances (SOMA): A Tool for Studying Concordance in Patient-Physician Relationships.

Friedlander M, Kangos K, Maestro K, Muetzelfeld H, Wright S, Da Silva N Couns Psychol. 2020; 47(5):796-819.

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