Article / Case Study
APHC [Academy for Professionalism in Health Care],
EPCCS [European Primary Care Cardiovascular Society].
Sofica Bistriceanu, MD, Ph.D
APHC [Academy for Professionalism in Health Care],
EPCCS [European Primary Care Cardiovascular Society].
7 August 2024 ; 22 August 2024
Seniors often use virtual communication to connect with family abroad. Exciting, good news improves their well-being, whereas intense, contradictory, or discourteous e-conversations can harm their health.
To highlight the negative impact of conflicting and ill-mannered e-discussions on vulnerable individuals.
In 2024, the author conducted a qualitative study in the community on the effects of various e-communication styles on people’s health.
In May 2024, a 73-year-old patient experienced headache and chest pain after a differing and impolite phone conversation with her son and daughter.
Patient’s Health History: hypertension [HTA] since 2001; type 2 diabetes since 2019; NYHA II heart failure since 2023.
Patient’s Family Health History: parents, brother: HTA.
Actions were taken: After the phone conversation, the patient noticed an increased blood pressure of 190/112 mmHg and a heart rate of 105/min. She called her family doctor, who advised her over the phone to adjust her medication. The family physician then visited the patient at home and asked about her recent physical activities and food intake. It was revealed that the patient had inappropriate discussions with family members over the phone. The family physician managed the situation using medication and effective communication and provided information on behaviour change. She initiated informative programs about the negative effects of e-improper communication on people’s health in the family and the community.
The patient’s clinical outcomes improved in the next few days, and no relapse was reported.
Contradictory and disrespectful mobile phone communication can aggravate heart and vessel function in vulnerable seniors.
In families, different generations often have differing opinions, with young people’s aspirations not aligning with those of old individuals. Intense, disagreeing, and impolite debates imply more adrenergic pathway activity, which can negatively impact seniors’ heart and vessel function. People need to communicate with the elderly more attentively and respectfully to prevent such unwanted situations. Individuals who experience unsafe online communication may avoid or block these interactions. Informative programs addressing these issues are necessary.