A patient with heartburn practicing self-treatment, on an outpatient visit

More than 40% of adult Russians periodically feel heartburn. Progression of the disease leads to a number of complications shortening patients’ life. However, patients try to cope with problems by themselves, without receiving adequate early treatment. Only when the life quality worsens, which evidences progression of the disease, they turn to a doctor. Success of treatment depends on the level of the patient’s compliance, life-long complete and regular adherence to treatment recommended by the doctor. With this, an outpatient with a chronic disease should provide the most part of the required medical service by himself. However, patients often change the therapeutic measures on their own impairing the result of treatment.

The given below clinical case of patient Zh., 38 years old, with heartburn and existing risk factors of other non-infectious diseases is a typical illustration of the interaction of a general practitioner and an outpatient practicing self-treatment. Facing the situation of necessary regular medical monitoring and life-long complex intervention, the patient uses only easy-to-follow doctor’s recommendations and understandable for him treatment methods.

Conclusion. On an example of this clinical case, a possible necessary and sufficient plan o f informing outpatient is presented containing information of the tactics of his behavior for full realization of medical recommendations. For successful adaptation of an outpatient with chronic health problems and harmonic attitude to the disease, the doctor should be maximally specific about necessary and adequate measures for correction of the patient’s behavior for the fullest realization of therapeutic recommendations. Recommendations should contain understandable information of basic medicinal and non-medicinal therapy in remission (the essential vital stereotypes – work-rest regime, type and regime of nutrition, physical activity and principles of monitoring the condition), of signs of exacerbation and methods of therapy «on demand» and also information of symptoms requiring urgent assistance, of risks of self-treatment, of visiting the doctor in case new or vivid symptoms appear, of the dates of planned examinations by the doctor. These recommendations are not applicable to patients with severe and manifest course of the disease, with disharmonic attitude to the disease, and in case of inadequate organization capacities and low compliance of the patient.