Code #______

PROVIDER SURVEY***

For each of the statements below, please indicate the extent of your agreement or disagreement by placing a tick in the appropriate column.

Statement / Strongly
Agree / Agree / Disagree / Strongly Disagree / Never thought about it
1. I cannot treat psychosocial problems
2. My patients do not want me to investigate psychosocial problems.
3. I cannot help patients with problems I have not experienced myself.
4. I do not focus on psychosocial problems until I have ruled out organic disease.
5. If I address psychosocial issues patients will reject them and never return.
6. Mind and brain influence physical disease and body perception.
7. Exploring psychological issues with the patient often causes me pain.
8. The biological model of disease is the most appropriate model for health care.
9. I am intruding when I ask psychosocial questions.
10. I must consider organic and psychosocial problems concurrently.
11. It is difficult to deal with psychosocial problems when I have many of the same problems as my patients.
12. Evaluating and treating psychosocial problems will cause me to be more overburdened than I already am.
13. I feel guilty probing the psychosocial concerns of my patients.
14. I am too pressed for time to routinely investigate psychosocial issues.
15. My patients feel questions about the psychological aspects of their lives are irrelevant.
16. The stresses we all experience do not significantly influence the onset or course of disease.
17. One reason I do not consider psychosocial information is the limited time I have available.
18. Patients will become more dependent on me if I open up psychosocial concerns.
19. If I deal with psychosocial issues I will lose patients.
20. There are so many issues to be investigated when seeing a patient that I do not always consider psychosocial factors.
21. My own psychological problems do not interfere with my ability to treat patients.
22. Consideration of psychological problems will require more effort than I have to give.
Statement / Strongly
Agree / Agree / Disagree / Strongly Disagree / Never thought about it
23. Patients blame me for psychological problems.
24. Talking about psychosocial issues causes more trouble than it is worth.
25. Investigating psychosocial issues decreases my efficiency.
26. Patients will reject the idea of my dealing with psychosocial issues.
27. Investigating psychosocial issues causes me to lose time and money.
28. I can’t help a patient with a psychosocial problem that I have not resolved for myself.
29. I can investigate psychological issues without decreasing my efficiency.
30. I focus on organic disease because I cannot treat the psychological.
31. Depressed patients frequently present with vegetative somatic complaints.
32. Patients with psychological concerns tend to become dependent on me.

***Adapted with permission: Ashworth CD, Williamson P, Montano D. A scale to measure physician beliefs about psychosocial aspects of patient care. Soc SciMed1984;19:1235-8.