Considering Theories

As an example in order to think things through theories, I will be using the patient-by-treatment-context interactive model of Christensen and Johnson (2002). The model proposes that the relationship between patient characteristics (e.g., personality and beliefs) and patient adherence (e.g., preventative care) is moderated by the treatment context (e.g., primary health provider characteristics and behavior). I like to draw things out so I get a better understanding of it.

We can begin tweaking some of the variables and think about how they would be affected in the model. For example, we could consider patients who do not have faith in modern medicine and the issue of vaccination use. The model suggests it is the primary health provider (PHP) who is the determining factor, so if the PHP was understanding of the patient's beliefs, according to the model, it should increase vaccination use.  This is how we went about this process so far: we reviewed the literature, which led to theory, which led to predictions.

Next time I will discuss theory and research questions. Do you have an issue or a question that you would like me to discuss in a future post? Send me an email with your ideas. leann.stadtlander@waldenu.edu