Painful venous ulcers: themes and stories about their impact on quality of life.

The purpose of this dissertation research was to describe, to understand and to interpret the meaning of the experience of living with painful venous ulcers. Heideggerian hermeneutic phenomenology, a descriptive, phenomenological approach, was the design used for this study. Fourteen people with active painful venous ulcers at the time of initial interview were engaged in conversation. The semi-structured interviews were audiotaped, transcribed and analyzed using Martin Qualitative Analysis Software (version 2.0). Four of the eight most compelling themes that relate to quality of life are reviewed here: feeling frustrated; interfering with the job; making significant life changes; and finding satisfaction in new activities. Increased sensitivity to and understanding of the impact of painful venous ulcers on QOL may lead to more effective intervention strategies and improved outcomes for these patients.