F. Coussongelie et al., THE PATIENTS REPRESENTATION OF ASTHMA - PRELIMINARY-RESULTS OF A SEMIOMETRIC STUDY, Revue des maladies respiratoires, 15(4), 1998, pp. 513-517
There is often a discrepancy between doctors' and patients' points of
view on asthma. However, few studies have been devoted to the patients
' representation of asthma. In this study 27 subjects, with moderate a
sthma, had to choose from a list of 35 groups of words and expressions
, those which look to them to best evoke asthma. The results of this d
escriptive study show that a allergy, is the most frequently chosen te
rm associated by patients with <<suffocate>>, <<attack>>, <<heredity>>
, and <<psychic>>. Asthmatic patients minimise disease severity and re
fuse to be categorised as ill; they reject terms stigmatising asthmati
c subject and the dangerousness of their disease. However, they recogn
ise that asthma has psychological repercussions and prefer self-care.
They consider drugs as dangerous and are afraid of their addiction and
toxicity. These results have implications on information and eduction
of asthmatic patients. To identify, for each patient, what is his/her
representation of his/her disease would be very useful to provide pat
ients with an adapted and personalized help for the management of his/
her disease.