Considering the influences of the physician-patient relationship on the patient's quality of life: An interpretive phenomenological analysis of the experience of being dismissed by one's physician among women with autoimmune diseases

Abstract

This study used Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis to explore the lived experiences of women with autoimmune diseases who felt dismissed by their physicians when seeking diagnosis of their symptoms. Six women with medically diagnosed autoimmune diseases were each interviewed twice in a semi-structured format. Participants reported lasting harm from negative emotional and psychological states that resulted from disruptions in intrapsychic processes, including challenges to embodied material reality and self-concept due to physicians' dismissive attitudes. A description of a unique phenomenon, named here as physician dismissiveness, emerged from the data. Participants also reported that experiencing physician dismissiveness made coping with symptoms more difficult during the quest for accurate diagnosis. These findings raise important questions regarding mind-body awareness, the nature of embodiment, authority over the body, and the role of expert others in holistic functioning. Background of the study includes elements of healing theory put forth by Rogers, as well as theory of the body as described by Merleau-Ponty.