Biomaterial Database

Using health psychology techniques to manage chronic physical symptoms. 2016

Elizabeth Barley, and Victoria Lawson

Professor in Health and Wellbeing, College of Nursing, Midwifery and Healthcare, University of West London.

Chest pain and palpitations, non-malignant pain, breathlessness and fatigue often endure despite the receipt of appropriate nursing and medical care. This is distressing for patients, impacts on their quality of life and ability to function and is associated with high healthcare usage and costs. The cognitive behavioural approach offers nurses a model to understand how people's perceptions and beliefs and their emotional, behavioural and physiological reactions are linked. Common 'thinking errors' which can exacerbate symptom severity and impact are highlighted. Understanding of this model may help nurses to help patients cope better with their symptoms by helping them to come up with alternative more helpful beliefs and practices. Many Improving Access to Psychological Therapy services offer support to people with chronic physical symptoms and nurses are encouraged to sign post patients to them.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008960	Models, Psychological	Theoretical representations that simulate psychological processes and/or social processes. These include the use of mathematical equations, computers, and other electronic equipment.	Model, Mental,Model, Psychological,Models, Mental,Models, Psychologic,Psychological Models,Mental Model,Mental Models,Model, Psychologic,Psychologic Model,Psychologic Models,Psychological Model
D011788	Quality of Life	A generic concept reflecting concern with the modification and enhancement of life attributes, e.g., physical, political, moral, social environment as well as health and disease.	HRQOL,Health-Related Quality Of Life,Life Quality,Health Related Quality Of Life
D002637	Chest Pain	Pressure, burning, or numbness in the chest.	Precordial Catch,Precordial Catch Syndrome,Texidor's Twinge,Chest Pains,Pain, Chest,Pains, Chest,Syndrome, Precordial Catch,Texidor Twinge
D004417	Dyspnea	Difficult or labored breathing.	Orthopnea,Platypnea,Recumbent Dyspnea,Rest Dyspnea,Trepopnea,Breathlessness,Shortness of Breath,Breath Shortness,Dyspnea, Recumbent,Dyspnea, Rest,Dyspneas, Rest
D005221	Fatigue	The state of weariness following a period of exertion, mental or physical, characterized by a decreased capacity for work and reduced efficiency to respond to stimuli.	Lassitude
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000223	Adaptation, Psychological	A state of harmony between internal needs and external demands and the processes used in achieving this condition. (From APA Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms, 8th ed).	Behavior, Adaptive,Healthy Adaptation,Positive Adaptation,Psychological Recovery,Adaptation, Psychologic,Adjustment,Psychological Adaptation,Adaptation, Healthy,Adaptation, Positive,Adaptive Behavior,Adaptive Behaviors,Healthy Adaptations,Positive Adaptations,Psychologic Adaptation,Psychological Recoveries,Recovery, Psychological
D001145	Arrhythmias, Cardiac	Any disturbances of the normal rhythmic beating of the heart or MYOCARDIAL CONTRACTION. Cardiac arrhythmias can be classified by the abnormalities in HEART RATE, disorders of electrical impulse generation, or impulse conduction.	Arrhythmia,Arrythmia,Cardiac Arrhythmia,Cardiac Arrhythmias,Cardiac Dysrhythmia,Arrhythmia, Cardiac,Dysrhythmia, Cardiac
D001524	Behavioral Medicine	The interdisciplinary field concerned with the development and integration of behavioral and biomedical science, knowledge, and techniques relevant to health and illness and the application of this knowledge and these techniques to prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation.	Health Psychology,Psychology, Health,Medicine, Behavioral,Health Psychologies,Psychologies, Health
D012720	Severity of Illness Index	Levels within a diagnostic group which are established by various measurement criteria applied to the seriousness of a patient's disorder.	Illness Index Severities,Illness Index Severity