Table 2 Factors motivating the acceptance of IFN therapy
From: Analysis of the factors motivating HCV-infected patients to accept interferon therapy
Question items | Multiple answers | Only answer | Only answer | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
n | % | n | % | n | % | ||
Recommendation and encouragement from other people | Recommendation from a primary care doctor | 62 | 65.96% | 18 | 19.15% | 49 | 52.13% |
Recommendation from a hepatologist | 71 | 75.53% | 18 | 19.15% | |||
With family’s encouragement | 40 | 42.55% | 8 | 8.51% | |||
With the encouragemant of friends and acquaintances | 15 | 15.96% | 4 | 4.26% | |||
With encouragement from a government office and healthcare center | 2 | 2.13% | 0 | 0.00% | |||
With encouragement from a patient advocacy group for liver disease | 1 | 1.06% | 1 | 1.06% | |||
Independent decision | Overcoming an illness by patient’s own determination | 79 | 84.04% | 20 | 21.28% | 29 | 30.85% |
Hope of longevity for the pateint and his family | 66 | 70.21% | 9 | 9.57% | |||
Economic reasons | Reducing hepatitis virus-infected patient’s cost of medical care in the Japanese medical system from the beginning of 2008. | 51 | 54.26% | 4 | 4.26% | 5 | 5.32% |
Coping with lower income before the official retirement age | 1 | 1.06% | 1 | 1.06% | |||
Outcome of same diseases from the people nearest | Awareness of people such as family and friends who have recovered from illness | 9 | 9.57% | 2 | 2.13% | 5 | 5.32% |
Awareness of death in the family and friends having the same liver diseases | 12 | 12.77% | 3 | 3.19% | |||
Increased leisure time | Devotion of certain amounts of time to the treatment of liver disease by reason of retirement and corporate downsizing | 12 | 12.77% | 2 | 2.13% | 3 | 3.19% |
Devotion of certain amounts of time to the treatment of liver disease free of elders who need care and student taking an entrance exam | 25 | 26.60% | 0 | 0.00% | |||
Coordination of work schedules to receive the treatment | 34 | 36.17% | 1 | 1.06% | |||
Gathering medical information | Participation in seminar for liver disease with patients | 21 | 22.34% | 0 | 0.00% | 1 | 1.06% |
Reading a newspaper, book or pamphlet | 41 | 43.62% | 0 | 0.00% | |||
Watching a TV program | 28 | 29.79% | 1 | 1.06% | |||
Gather information from the internet | 21 | 22.34% | 0 | 0.00% | |||
Watching TV reports of lawsuits of hepatitis | 23 | 24.47% | 0 | 0.00% | |||
Recovering from an extrahepatic disease | Concentratation on the treatment of liver diseases after recovering from an extrahepatic disease | 7 | 7.45% | 1 | 1.06% | 1 | 1.06% |
The others | Dislike receiving injections for liver supporting therapy thrice weekly for many months | 4 | 4.26% | 1 | 1.06% | 1 | 1.06% |