Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Lillebaelt Hospital, Kolding Sygehusvej 24, 6000, Kolding, Denmark; Department of Regional Health Research, University of Southern Denmark Campusvej 55, 5230, Odense, Denmark; Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre Kettegård Alle 30, 2650, Hvidovre, Denmark.
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Zealand University Hospital, Køge Lykkebækvej 1, 4600 Køge, Denmark.
Int J Orthop Trauma Nurs. 2022 Jul;46:100957. doi: 10.1016/j.ijotn.2022.100957. Epub 2022 Jul 11.
Humeral shaft fracture treatment can induce serious morbidities, and it is unclear how these morbidities impact patients. To gain in-depth knowledge, we explored how patients experience humeral shaft fractures and the subsequent treatment course.
A qualitative study was performed using semi-structured individual interviews. A purposive sampling approach was conducted to recruit patients with traumatic isolated humeral shaft fractures; the patients' ages, genders, primary treatments, and complications varied. Data saturation was met after the data of 12 patients were analyzed using Malterud Systematic Text Condensation.
Eight women and four men with a median age of 48.5 years (range: 22-83 years) were interviewed. The median time from injury to interview was 12.5 months (range: 8-18 months). Ten out of twelve patients were treated non-surgically; of those ten, four patients experienced major complications from the primary treatment. During the analysis, five overarching themes appeared: expectations, physical changes, support and independence, psychological impact, and the specific treatment and recovery.
First, patients with humeral shaft fractures expressed frustration with treatment in the emergency department. Second, gross fracture movement and pain were central symptoms that led to the loss of basic capabilities. Third, patient preferences were included in the treatment decision-making process and could change throughout the treatment course. Fourth, patients required massive support to perform basic activities of daily living.
肱骨干骨折的治疗可能会导致严重的并发症，但目前尚不清楚这些并发症会如何影响患者。为了更深入地了解这一问题，我们探讨了患者经历肱骨干骨折及其后续治疗过程的情况。
采用半结构式个体访谈进行定性研究。采用目的抽样法招募创伤性孤立性肱骨干骨折患者；患者的年龄、性别、主要治疗方法和并发症各不相同。对 12 名患者的数据进行分析后，使用 Malterud 系统文本凝结法达到了数据饱和。
共访谈了 8 名女性和 4 名男性，中位年龄为 48.5 岁（范围：22-83 岁）。从受伤到访谈的中位时间为 12.5 个月（范围：8-18 个月）。12 名患者中有 10 名接受了非手术治疗；其中 4 名接受主要治疗的患者出现了严重并发症。在分析过程中，出现了五个总体主题：期望、身体变化、支持和独立、心理影响以及具体的治疗和恢复。
首先，肱骨干骨折患者在急诊科对治疗表示不满。其次，明显的骨折移位和疼痛是导致基本能力丧失的主要症状。第三，患者的偏好被纳入治疗决策过程中，并可能在整个治疗过程中发生变化。第四，患者需要大量的支持来完成日常生活活动。
