Diagnostic Pathways as Social and Participatory Practices: The Case of Herpes Simplex Encephalitis
- PMID: 26960197
- PMCID: PMC4784735
- DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0151145
Diagnostic Pathways as Social and Participatory Practices: The Case of Herpes Simplex Encephalitis
Abstract
Herpes simplex virus (HSV) encephalitis is a potentially devastating disease, with significant rates of mortality and co-morbidities. Although the prognosis for people with HSV encephalitis can be improved by prompt treatment with aciclovir, there are often delays involved in the diagnosis and treatment of the disease. In response, National Clinical Guidelines have been produced for the UK which make recommendations for improving the management of suspected viral encephalitis. However, little is currently known about the everyday experiences and processes involved in the diagnosis and care of HSV encephalitis. The reported study aimed to provide an account of the diagnosis and treatment of HSV encephalitis from the perspective of people who had been affected by the condition. Thirty narrative interviews were conducted with people who had been diagnosed with HSV encephalitis and their significant others. The narrative accounts reveal problems with gaining access to a diagnosis of encephalitis and shortfalls in care for the condition once in hospital. In response, individuals and their families work hard to obtain medical recognition for the problem and shape the processes of acute care. As a consequence, we argue that the diagnosis and management of HSV encephalitis needs to be considered as a participatory process, which is co-produced by health professionals, patients, and their families. The paper concludes by making recommendations for developing the current management guidelines by formalising the critical role of patients and their significant others in the identification, and treatment of, HSV encephalitis.
Conflict of interest statement
Similar articles
-
Herpes simplex virus infections of the central nervous system: encephalitis and meningitis, including Mollaret's.Herpes. 2004 Jun;11 Suppl 2:57A-64A. Herpes. 2004. PMID: 15319091 Review.
-
Delays in initiation of acyclovir therapy in herpes simplex encephalitis.Can J Neurol Sci. 2012 Sep;39(5):644-8. doi: 10.1017/s0317167100015390. Can J Neurol Sci. 2012. PMID: 22931707
-
Management of suspected herpes simplex virus encephalitis in adults in a U.K. teaching hospital.Clin Med (Lond). 2009 Jun;9(3):231-5. doi: 10.7861/clinmedicine.9-3-231. Clin Med (Lond). 2009. PMID: 19634384 Free PMC article.
-
An Adult Case of Herpes Simplex Virus-associated Granulomatous Encephalitis.Intern Med. 2019 May 15;58(10):1491-1494. doi: 10.2169/internalmedicine.2046-18. Epub 2019 Jan 10. Intern Med. 2019. PMID: 30626834 Free PMC article.
-
Herpes simplex encephalitis : from virus to therapy.Infect Disord Drug Targets. 2011 Jun;11(3):235-50. doi: 10.2174/187152611795768088. Infect Disord Drug Targets. 2011. PMID: 21488834 Review.
Cited by 4 articles
-
Neuropsychological and psychiatric outcomes in encephalitis: A multi-centre case-control study.PLoS One. 2020 Mar 25;15(3):e0230436. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0230436. eCollection 2020. PLoS One. 2020. PMID: 32210460 Free PMC article.
-
Understanding parental perspectives on outcomes following paediatric encephalitis: A qualitative study.PLoS One. 2019 Sep 16;14(9):e0220042. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0220042. eCollection 2019. PLoS One. 2019. PMID: 31525232 Free PMC article.
-
Care beyond the hospital ward: understanding the socio-medical trajectory of herpes simplex virus encephalitis.BMC Health Serv Res. 2017 Sep 12;17(1):646. doi: 10.1186/s12913-017-2608-2. BMC Health Serv Res. 2017. PMID: 28899392 Free PMC article.
-
MicroRNA-125b in peripheral blood: a potential biomarker for severity and prognosis of children with viral encephalitis.Neurol Sci. 2017 Aug;38(8):1437-1444. doi: 10.1007/s10072-017-2982-x. Epub 2017 May 13. Neurol Sci. 2017. PMID: 28502057
References
-
- Easton A, Atkin K, Dowell E. Encephalitis, a service orphan: the need for more research and access to neuropsychology. Br J Neurosci Nurs. 2006; 2.
-
- Hokkanen L, Launes J. Neuropsychological sequelae of acute-onset sporadic viral encephalitis. Neuropsychol Rehabil. 2007; 17: 450–477. - PubMed
-
- Raschilas F, Wolff M, Delatour F, Chaffaut C, De Broucker T, Chevret S, et al. Outcome of and prognostic factors for herpes simplex encephalitis in adult patients: results of a multicentre study. Clin Infect Dis. 2002; 35: 254–260. - PubMed
Publication types
MeSH terms
Substances
Grant support
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Other Literature Sources
Medical