They even felt unwilling selleck bio to discuss
their treatment plan with their physicians because they believed that whatever physicians said was right and patients should always obey their physicians. On some occasions, they admitted they could not openly communicate with their physicians due to unwillingness to challenge their authority. I will follow whatever the doctor tells me. It would be strange if the doctor discusses the treatment plan with me, and it is unnecessary for the doctor to do that. I have never accused the doctor for anything wrong. Just like a child and his father—the doctor is like our parent, and whatever he says is correct. If … the doctor has said something wrong, and I notice it … then I know more than the doctor. That’s impossible! (Participant 16, male) The strong sense of respect for doctors seemed to hinder the development of Chinese immigrants’ capacity to obtain additional information about their treatment regime (HL1), communicate their needs and preferences with professionals (HL2), and process information about treatment plans (HL3). Desire to avoid being burdensome to others Participants stated that they tried to avoid burdening people around them, especially their families. Most of the participants shared common experiences. Some felt uncomfortable affecting
the dietary habits of their family members. They believed that low-sugar and low-fat diets for people with diabetes were neither appetising nor of high quality. Therefore, they did not want their family members to suffer because of
their own dietary restrictions. “I do not want the whole family to have less tasty food. … Shanghai people like sweet stuff. I do not want to ask them to put less sugar [in the food]” (Participant 16, male). Most of the participants also stated they felt embarrassed about taking time and energy away from healthcare providers to address their health concerns. They considered the key responsibility of physicians and nurses to be curing or treating diseases. They did not expect physicians and nurses to take an active role in health education via discussions. Many of the participants felt it was impractical Anacetrapib for nurses to provide extra services, such as conducting patient support groups, during non-office hours. The participants stated that health professionals were busy enough and they did not want to bother them. Because the nurses should have the weekends off. … It is impossible for the clinic to provide us with nurse-led support groups in a frequent manner, such as weekly or monthly. In fact, there is an alternative way to do this: all of us can exchange our phone numbers and we will contact with each other if we have time.