Page 196 - Demo

Chapter 81943. Patient needs regarding the network. Participants valued their network’s opinion and support regarding MH problems. They rely on them for emotional support, identification and assessment of MH problems, and encouragement to contact the practitioner when needed. Presence during practitioner consultations and assistance in implementing practitioner advice were seen as supportive. 4. Self-determination. Participants emphasized the need for self-determination with regard to their MH trajectory, despite their vulnerabilities and additional needs for support. The patients’ perspective highlights heightened vulnerability in accessing primary care for individuals with both MID and MH problems. As a result, patients have additional needs and expectations regarding the practitioner and the network, emphasizing the pivotal role of self-determination.Chapter 6 describes GPs’ and MHNPs’ perspectives regarding the MH care that they provide to people with MID. Four focus groups, with 19 GPs and 9 MHNPs, were conducted, using the four themes that emerged from the patient interview study described in Chapter 5 as input. Thematic analysis revealed four themes:1. Practitioners’ struggles with adapting to challenging patient characteristics. Participants indicated that these patients often present with multiple problems, lack clear reasons for encounter, and struggle with organizing their own care. They also mentioned that they do not always recognize the MID in patients or know how to address their suspicion of it. Enhancing MH care involves improving practitioners’ knowledge and experience, practitioners addressing patients’ additional needs, and practitioners adapting approaches beyond standard MH guidelines.2. Importance and difficulties of establishing a good doctor–patient relationship. Participants considered it crucial to invest in a sustainable doctor–patient relationship for this patient group. However, establishing this relationship may be challenging given the vast experiential differences and patients’ potentially negative past encounters with healthcare providers.Katrien Pouls sHL.indd 194 24-06-2024 16:26