How do you deal with people with a hospital aversion?

Social implications of limited mobility to patient and family? What support is

available?
What are the reasons why surgery might be delayed? From the patient or hospital?
What is the psychosocial impact of disengagement with the healthcare system?
What is the impact of chronic pain in the context of the case?

Why do people avoid seeing a doctor?

A survey conducted by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) in 2010 determined the top 3 reasons
people chose not to see a doctor were because they were concerned about what the doctor might
find.1
I think this is linked to the Health Belief Model (HBM) which weve come across in the past, which
suggests that people will only act if (essentially) the perceived benefits of their behaviour
outweigh the perceived risks.2,3
Another source I found suggested that, out of approximately 75% of the general population who
experience any symptom(s), only a third will see their GP. Another third will do nothing, whereas the
remaining third will self-medicate or seek help from an alternative practitioner.4 It also stated that
there was a higher proportion of people with minor symptoms who consulted a doctor, compared to
those with significant symptoms who did not consult a doctor.
Important to be aware that people who see a doctor regarding minor ailments may actually reflect
on an anxiety that things might be serious.
Pain leads to behaviour that is shaped by operant conditioning: good days lead to doing too much,
resulting in bad days when little can be done while waiting for pain to settle = low mood,
anxiety/frustration. Importance of learning how to pace self.

http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/prod_consump/groups/cr_common/@abt/@gen/documents/ge
neralcontent/cr_085096.pdf
2

https://www.utwente.nl/cw/theorieenoverzicht/Theory%20Clusters/Health%20Communication/He
alth_Belief_Model/
3

http://sjmse-library.sch.ng/E-Books%20Phil/health%204.pdf

psychology and sociology applied to medicine