Health Care in Long Term Conditions

The aim of this module is to provide you with a critical awareness of the role of psychology in the onset, diagnosis, progression and management of various long term conditions.  Furthermore this module will provide you with a comprehensive understanding of key issues related to the nature of patient interaction with health care providers.  Finally, the role of the family and wider social environment in health and illness will be explored.

On successful completion of the module, you will be able to critically evaluate psychological theories relevant to the provision of health care and critically evaluate the role of psychology in the onset, diagnosis, progression and management of long term conditions.

Topics covered may include:

• Incidence & range of long term conditions
• Diagnosis and adjustment to LTCs
• Coping & long term conditions; individual and social factors; interventions
• Caregiving: stress, gender roles, spousal, familial and non-familial caregiving
• Stigmatised conditions & identity: mental illness & physical disability
• Long term conditions across the lifespan
• Models of health care
• Patient-practitioner communication
• Treatment decision making
• Breaking bad news; dying, death and bereavement.