常人疾病观及其对医患关系的影响

Lay theories of illness are a collection of lay peoples knowledge, explanations, and attitudes toward a particular disease. Compared with medical professionals, lay people are more concerned with the pathogenic effects of psychological, family and social factors than biological factors. They choose diverse medical treatments rather than follow the standardized medical model; they are more willing to treat the disease experience as a special issue of personal life and develop a constructive understanding. The discrepancies between lay theories of illness and scientific medical theories can lower patients satisfaction with medical care, trust in medical practitioners, and adherence to doctors advice, thereby affecting treatment outcomes. It is believed that studying Chinese lay theories of illness, their impact on doctorpatient relationships and the social psychological mechanism thereof, in the context of the Chinese medical culture and medical system, will provide useful suggestions for reducing the current tension between doctors and patients in China. "