Perceptions of disease and illness among frequent attenders of public health clinics in israel

The significance of these disease representations is their contribution to understanding the meaning and definition one ascribes to the illness, as well as how one copes with and adjusts to it (Leventhal et al., 1980). Frequent attenders consume a great deal of medical care and create a burden for the treating physician and the healthcare system (Bass & May 2002). The purposes of the study were to characterize the perception of disease and illness among frequent attenders and to understand the meaning of sense of health as perceived by frequent attenders. In this paper will present the findings of ten semi-structured in-depth interviews. The research findings show how perceptions of disease and illness, as well as deficient coping with illness among frequent attenders, constitute an element that disrupts normal life and requires considerable use of healthcare services due to the resulting sense of discomfort and pressure. Use of an intervention model that enhances one's mental resilience appears to be a possible solution for reducing the phenomenon of frequent attenders. Topics for future researches: applied research to examine the impact of the model on the mental resilience of the frequent attenders.