When a patient makes decisions about their own treatment, it is possible to have various psychological and social variables that affect the process. Social includes the patient’s environment, as well as his or her ability to access resources to support the treatment. In turn, psychological includes the patient’s personal beliefs and prejudices, his emotions and general health. The ten variables presented in the essay can significantly influence a patient’s decision about the way and the possibilities of treatment, and given this fact, pharmaceutical companies can improve the quality of human services.
The first and one of the key social factors is family participation, which can completely change the choice of medicines or mode of care. The involvement of relatives and relatives is particularly important for older patients who suffer from cancer (Dijkman et al., 2022). Often, family involvement has a positive impact on decisions about disease treatment, so it helps patients to deal with the disease quickly. The second variable is the support provided by medical professionals, which ensures a higher level of widowhood of patients with treatment outcomes (Buljac-Samardzic et al., 2022). With the help of specialists, the results of treatment become much better. The third factor is the availability of resources, the limitations of which can force an individual to choose a cheaper but ineffective treatment option. The fourth variable is the cultural beliefs of some patients who prefer to be treated with folk remedies and are skeptical about medicines. Finally, the fifth element is social stigmatization, which consists in the patient’s distrust of both the doctors and the chosen treatments, which may prevent him or her from seeking help.
The first variable from a psychological point of view is the influence of previous treatment experience on the patient’s perception of the decisions made. Those who have a positive experience of service are more likely to choose the same effective and enjoyable treatment in the future, which will happen the other way around under negative conditions (Pham et al., 2020). The second factor is the patient’s emotions, as fear and anxiety, for example, can prompt a person to make a faster decision. The third variable is the personal relationship of the person to the disease, which may affect the choice of alternative or traditional treatments. The fourth variable is situation control, which is important for some patients who are willing to be directly involved in all stages of their care. Finally, the last psychological factor can be revealed as medical literacy, which is the ability of the patient to independently understand his or her state of health.
Pharmaceutical companies should focus on the above variables to ensure that patients have a positive experience of treatment. It is equally important to listen to people who already have a positive experience in hospital and know how to improve the conditions for others. If companies produce the drugs that are most valuable to the most disease-prone group, they will be able to sell medicines more efficiently and improve the lives of those in need.
In conclusion, many social and psychological factors do influence a patient’s decisions about his or her treatment. The support of family and professionals, the possibility of financing treatment, as well as the past experience, prejudices and emotions of the patient can dramatically change the course of treatment. In order for pharmaceutical companies to ensure the sale of marketed and quality medicines, they must target patients’ positive experiences and select the right components for the drugs. Taking these variables into account, companies will not only be able to increase their own income, but most importantly, save lives of many people suffering from disease.
References
Buljac-Samardzic, M., Clark, M. A., van Exel, N. J. A., & van Wijngaarden, J. D. H. (2022). Patients as team members: Factors affecting involvement in treatment decisions from the perspective of patients with a chronic condition. Health Expectations: An International Journal of Public Participation in Health Care and Health Policy, 25(1), 138–148. Web.
Dijkman, B. L., Luttik, M. L., Van der Wal-Huisman, H., Paans, W., & van Leeuwen, B. L. (2022). Factors influencing family involvement in treatment decision-making for older patients with cancer: A scoping review. Journal of Geriatric Oncology, 13(4), 391–397. Web.
Pham, A. P., Berman, J. S., & Lewin, R. K. (2020). Does involving patients in treatment decisions affect perceptions of treatments and therapists?Psychotherapy Research: Journal of the Society for Psychotherapy Research, 30(4), 487–494. Web.