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Table 4 By-factor ranking of statements given in the Flare Help-Seeking Q-study

From: A Q-methodology study of flare help-seeking behaviours and different experiences of daily life in rheumatoid arthritis

 

Factor scores

When I am in an RA flare....

Factor X

Factor Y-

F1: I feel the flare will last until I seek medical help

0

-3

F2: I will contact the medical team as soon as possible

+1

-3

F3: I am reluctant to seek medical help as I worry about wasting the rheumatology team’s time

-3

0

F4: I am more reluctant to seek medical help when I think I’ve caused the flare

-1

-2

F5: I am reluctant to seek medical help as I don’t think the Dr can do anything to help

-3

-1

F6: I am reluctant to seek medical help as I hope it’ll go away on its own

-1

+4

F7: I avoid seeking medical help as I don’t like taking drugs

-2

-2

F8: I seek help from the medical team once flare starts to affect my quality of life too much

+4

+1

F9: I know I don’t have to manage my flare alone

+2

+1

F10: Easy access to the medical team is part of my decision to seek help for my flare

+1

0

F11: A loved one tells me I ought to seek medical help

0

+2

F12: I don’t like admitting that I need to ask for help

-1

+2

F13: I am reluctant to seek medical help as I don’t get on well with my rheumatology team

-4

-4

F14: I manage my symptoms until the flare stops

0

+1

F15: I seek help from the medical team as I worry about long term damage to my joints

+1

-1

F16: I seek help from the medical team when the pain becomes too intense

+3

+3

F17: I wait until my next scheduled appointment with the rheumatologist before seeking help

-2

-1

F18: I am reluctant to seek medical help as I don’t want to waste my own time

-2

0

F19: I seek help from the medical team when I know my flare needs to be controlled by new medication

+2

-2

F20: I control my flare symptoms with medication before contacting the medical team

0

0

F21: I seek help from the medical team when my symptoms become uncontrollable

+3

+3

F22: I seek help from the medical team when the flare has gone on longer than I expected

+2

+2

F23: I wait until I have more than one flare symptom before seeking medical help

0

0

  1. Statements highlighted in bold text show that consensus on the average score was reached across the factors.
  2. Reading the table by column shows the comparative ranking of statements that characterise a particular factor. Reading the table by row shows the comparative ranking of a particular statement across factors.