Diverging illness perceptions between physicians about patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and systemic...

Area of Science:

• Rheumatology
• Internal Medicine
• Health Psychology

Background:

• Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and systemic sclerosis (SSc) are complex autoimmune diseases requiring multidisciplinary management.
• Physician perceptions of patient illness can vary significantly across different medical disciplines.
• Understanding these perception differences is crucial for optimizing patient care in SLE and SSc.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate and identify differences in illness perceptions among physicians treating patients with SLE and SSc.
• To explore how physicians from various specialties perceive the same patient cases.
• To determine if distinct clusters of physician perceptions exist for SLE and SSc.

Main Methods:

• Physicians from nine disciplines at three Belgian hospitals completed illness perception questionnaires.
• Patient vignettes for SLE and SSc were used to assess physician perceptions.
• K-means clustering was employed to group physicians based on their illness perception scores.

Main Results:

• Three distinct clusters of physician perceptions were identified for both SLE and SSc.
• For SLE, clusters were labeled 'optimistic,' 'realistic,' and 'overwhelming impact by disease.'
• For SSc, clusters were characterized as 'optimistic,' 'realistic,' and 'skeptical,' indicating significant perceptual variability.

Conclusions:

• Significant divergence in illness perceptions exists among physicians, even within the same discipline.
• These varied perceptions may influence the multidisciplinary management of SLE and SSc patients.
• Further research is needed to understand the factors driving these perception differences and their impact on patient outcomes.