Ming Yang, MMed
Nominated From: University of Michigan
Research Site: China
Research Area: Infectious Disease
Primary Mentor: Anna Lok
Research Project
Hepatic Disease in China: Assessing Quality of Care in Rural and Urban Patients
The aim of this project is to investigate the differences in patient knowledge about the liver disease they have, patient satisfaction with care they receive, and patient preference in medical decisions in the U.S. and urban and rural China, and to identify factors associated with deficiencies in patient knowledge and satisfaction with care with the ultimate goal of tailoring interventions that would reduce those deficiencies in each setting. Results of this study will provide insights regarding what are the gaps in patient knowledge, how to communicate better with patients, which aspects of care are most important to patients, and how to arrive at the most appropriate decisions for each patient.
Research Significance:
There are many differences in health status between the U.S. and China. Furthermore, as the economy in China improves, the gap between health literacy and access to quality care in urban and rural China widens. In 2012 and 2013, two batches of University of Michigan M1 students came to China to study the differences in patient hepatitis C (HCV) knowledge and attitude toward clinical research in the U.S. and China. I participated in the 2013 M1 project which was conducted in two community clinics– one in Beijing and one in a small town outside Beijing. Patient knowledge about their disease and satisfaction with their care had been shown to be associated with improved outcomes. Patient satisfaction with their care and patient interest in being involved in medical decision making are getting increasing attention in western countries, but have not been well studied in China. With changes in culture and a shift from paternalistic care to shared decisions and increasing reports of patient dissatisfaction leading to tragic deaths of physicians, a study on patient knowledge, satisfaction with care and desire to be involved in medical decisions is timely.
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