Alkandari Maryam, Hollywood Amelia
School of Pharmacy, University of Reading, Reading, United Kingdom.
Front Pain Res (Lausanne). 2023 Jun 28;4:1162405. doi: 10.3389/fpain.2023.1162405. eCollection 2023.
Peripheral neuropathy is a neurological disorder characterised by pain, numbness, or tingling due to nerve damage. Peripheral neuropathy is one of the main health issues in Kuwait and is a rising concern which affects a large proportion of the population, therefore the lived experience needs to be explored to identify areas for improvement in care. This qualitative study explored the experiences of people living with peripheral neuropathy in Kuwait.
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 25 participants recruited from the Neurology Outpatient Clinic of the Ibn Sina Hospital in Kuwait. The interview questions explored their experiences and understanding of pain along with the impact on their daily life. The interviews were audio recorded, transcribed and translated into English then coded using NVivo 12. Thematic analysis was conducted to identify patterns and themes in the data.
Three major themes were identified including treatment beliefs (perceived effectiveness of treatment and seeking alternative treatments), the barriers to pain management (medication side effects, relationships with healthcare professionals and lack of information and access to healthcare), and the impact on quality of life (impact on work and social, physical, and psychological consequences). Self-efficacy was a key construct and over-arching theme that was discussed in all aspects, which finds reflection in the protection motivation theory.
This paper presents the experiences of people living with peripheral neuropathy and highlights there is scope for improvement of current treatments in Kuwait. Self-management strategies are recommended alongside prescribed medication and healthcare professionals are encouraged to use a patient-centered approach. More importantly, information and support on the condition to promote coping strategies and self-efficacy should be adopted to improve quality of life. These findings can be implemented locally and globally to improve the quality of care provided to people living with peripheral neuropathy.
周围神经病变是一种神经系统疾病，其特征是由于神经损伤导致疼痛、麻木或刺痛。周围神经病变是科威特主要的健康问题之一，且日益受到关注，影响着很大一部分人口，因此需要探索患者的生活体验，以确定护理方面有待改进的领域。这项定性研究探讨了科威特周围神经病变患者的经历。
对从科威特伊本·西那医院神经科门诊招募的25名参与者进行了半结构式访谈。访谈问题探讨了他们对疼痛的体验和理解以及对日常生活的影响。访谈进行了录音、转录并翻译成英文，然后使用NVivo 12进行编码。进行了主题分析以识别数据中的模式和主题。
确定了三个主要主题，包括治疗信念（对治疗效果的认知和寻求替代治疗）、疼痛管理的障碍（药物副作用、与医护人员的关系以及缺乏医疗信息和就医机会）以及对生活质量的影响（对工作、社交、身体和心理方面的影响）。自我效能感是一个关键概念和贯穿各方面讨论的总体主题，这在保护动机理论中有所体现。
本文介绍了周围神经病变患者的经历，并强调科威特目前的治疗方法有改进的空间。建议在使用处方药的同时采用自我管理策略，并鼓励医护人员采用以患者为中心的方法。更重要的是，应提供有关该疾病的信息和支持，以促进应对策略和自我效能感，从而提高生活质量。这些研究结果可在本地和全球范围内实施，以提高为周围神经病变患者提供的护理质量。
