Patients’ experiences of living with peripheral arterial disease awaiting intervention: a qualitative study

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate patients' experiences of living with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and the influence on activities of daily living. Twenty-four patients with various degrees of PAD were interviewed. The transcribed texts were analysed using manifest and latent content analysis. Living with PAD meant carrying a hard-to-bear physical, social and emotional burden, and struggling for relief. The experience of burden was interpreted in the following themes representing consequences and strategies for gaining control in daily life: (I) "being limited by the burden" (II) "striving to relieve the burden" (III) "accepting and adapting to the feeling of burden". The use of different coping strategies was crucial to achieve some relief. Pain and sleep disturbance emerged as a major feature of living with PAD, and by combining both analgesics and non-pharmacological methods some pain relief was received. To provide optimal alleviation of pain for these patients, education about pain and pain management is of great importance followed by regular evaluations of the pain and pain management. Furthermore, the study underlines the importance of preventing the progression of the vascular disease and from the individual power and knowledge support and preserve as independent life as possible.

Characterization of the peripheral artery disease symptom experience

“…16 Participants described PAD as being physically, socially, and emotionally burdensome. Again, participants talked about the consequences of the disease and specific coping strategies designed to relieve the burden and gain control in daily life.…”

Cognitive coping and goal adjustment in people with Peripheral Arterial Disease: Relationships with depressive symptoms

“…The PF-10 consists of 10 items that assess the extent of health-related limitations in a variety of physical activities. Items are scored on a 3-point scale (1)(2)(3). A total score is obtained by summing up the ten items (10-30), with higher scores indicating more healthrelated limitations.…”

“…Patients were asked which specific cognitive coping strategies they used in relation to their PAD-related limitations. Three subscales were included: (1) rumination (continuously dwelling on the feelings and thoughts associated with the PAD-related limitations), (2) catastrophizing (thoughts of explicitly emphasizing the terror of the PAD-related limitations), and (3) positive refocusing (thinking about joyful and pleasant issues instead of thinking about the PADrelated limitations). Each of the three cognitive strategies was measured by two items on a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 (almost never) to 5 (almost always).…”

“…These symptoms cause substantial impairments in other life domains, such as in the patients' independence, abilities to perform daily activities, and social functioning. The loss of physical health and functioning impacts greatly on mental health [2]. Research has shown that the prevalence of depressive symptoms is high among people suffering from PAD, with reported prevalence rates ranging from 16% to 60% [3][4][5][6].…”

Qualidade do sono em pacientes idosos com patologias vasculares periféricas

“…Além disso, a maioria dos pacientes (56%) relatou uso de um a três tipos de medicação. Pode-se associar o uso de grande variedade de medicações à presença das comorbidades; além disso, uma das principais características da doença arterial periférica é o distúrbio da dor e do sono, sendo que a combinação de analgésicos e alguns métodos não farmacológicos são capazes de proporcionar algum alívio dessa dor (20) . Autores apontam que pacientes com dor crônica são mais ansiosos, tem mais depressão e sofrem mais de distúrbios do sono, quando comparados a sujeitos saudáveis (21) .…”