Abstract
Objective: Pain is a common symptom in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) which negatively influences quality of life. However, to date, patients' experiences of pain have not been explored and there is little understanding of the manner in which patients' make sense of these experiences. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of pain and their meaning in individuals with moderate to severe COPD.
Methods: Eight patients diagnosed with COPD who reported experiencing pain for greater than six months participated in in-depth interviews, with transcripts subjected to interpretative phenomenological analysis.
Results: Five themes were identified. 'Ambiguity of pain experience', encompassing patients' frustrations related to healthcare professionals approach to and explanation for their pain and their need to legitimize their symptoms. 'Psychological reactions to pain', outlining a mix of stoicism, depression and engagement in fear-avoidance behavior. 'Language and behaviour of pain', portrays the intense imagery used to describe pain and its unpredictable nature. 'Pain complicates the clinical profile of COPD', with higher levels of pain related to increased dyspnoea, fatigue and poor concentration. 'Altered identity perception', describing patients' reduced self-worth, and their sense of failure in not meeting the expectations of others.
Conclusions: Patients' narratives emphasise the difficulty in explaining the persistent presence of pain, threatening legitimacy and influencing feeling of frustration and self-worth. These responses should be considered by healthcare professionals when evaluating the presence of pain in COPD.
- Copyright ©the authors 2016