Person-Centered Healthcare Practice in a Pandemic Context: An Exploration of People's Experience of Seeking Healthcare Support.
Eleanor Curnow, Vaibhav Tyagi, Lisa Salisbury and 8 others
PMID 36188789WHAT IT FOUND
Eleven people with long-term conditions described feeling dismissed by healthcare services during the pandemic.
They struggled to access support because symptoms were not believed or matched narrow referral criteria. Feeling heard and partnering with clinicians who admitted knowledge limits helped them cope despite lack of treatment.
Key findings
01Participants felt dismissed when health professionals attributed symptoms to anxiety, weight, or gender rather than investigating them.
02Access to services was blocked by unclear or narrow referral criteria that excluded those most in need, such as people too unwell to attend clinics.
03Clinicians who openly acknowledged their limited knowledge about long covid and took time to listen were trusted and helped patients feel supported.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample size was very small (n = 11) and not representative of the wider population. Participants were mostly female and all were resident in the UK, limiting transferability to other groups. Recruitment was via an online survey promoted on social media, which may have attracted a specific demographic. The study did not explore the perspective of healthcare providers, so the systemic barriers are described only from the patient side. Findings are qualitative and describe experiences rather than measuring outcomes or the effectiveness of any intervention.
Declared interests
The authors declared no commercial or financial conflicts of interest. The study was funded by Queen Margaret University and the Scottish Funding Council.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret these findings as evidence that specific therapeutic interventions work or fail. This paper describes the experiences of eleven people in accessing care during a pandemic. It highlights barriers to person-centered practice and the emotional impact of dismissal, but it does not test any treatment or measure clinical outcomes.