Struggling to be seen and understood as a person - Chronic back pain patients' experiences of encounters in health care: An interview study.
Renée Allvin, Erika Fjordkvist, Karin Blomberg
PMID 31367430WHAT IT FOUND
Nine chronic back pain patients described struggling to be seen and understood.
They felt disbelieved, shuttled between providers, and obliged to adapt to care routines. They wanted time, honest answers, and continuity.
Key findings
01Patients described struggling to be seen and understood as persons.
02They reported insufficient access to care when needed, being disbelieved through words or body language, and feeling shuttled between providers with no one responsible for the whole picture.
03They valued personnel who took time, showed empathy, explained their care, and considered them as whole persons rather than diagnoses.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only nine patients were interviewed, all from one Swedish orthopaedic hospital ward, so this is not a generalisable account of all chronic back pain patients. The sample was a convenience sample; patients who agreed to an interview may have had more energy or more negative experiences than those who did not. The study reports patient experiences, not tested effects of any intervention or communication change. Participants were all of Nordic origin and lived with a partner, so findings may not apply to other cultural or social situations.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these themes as proof that a contact nurse or a particular communication strategy improves chronic back pain outcomes. The study interviewed nine patients and tested no treatment.