The lived experience of chronic pain and coping in institutionalized elderly

• Main Authors: Chiung-ying Lee, 李瓊瑛
• Other Authors: Su-Fen Cheng
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2007
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/08004370132177345671

碩士 === 輔英科技大學 === 護理系碩士班 === 95 === Pain is a common problem of the elderly. However, studies related to the pain experience by elderly residents in long–term care facilities is limited. The aim of this study was to enhance understanding the experience of chronic pain and coping strategies among elderly residents in the long-term care facilities. The study was a phenomenological research. A purposive sampling was used. Eighteen elderly with chronic pain were interviewed. Through in-depth interviews, participants narrated their experiences of living with chronic pain and pain management. Colaizzi’s phenomenological approach was utilized to analyze the data of the experience. Lincoln and Cuba’s (1985) trustworthinese criteria were employed to evaluate methodological rigor. The results of this study showed seven themes of chronic pain experience: pain as an inevitable effect of the normal aging process, pain as a consequent of overworking and complications of disease, an indescribable experience that is unable to be understood by others, lost of control, uncertainty about pain relief, sense of loss ,worry about becoming burdens to families. Five themes related to coping strategies were: combination of pain relief strategies, avoiding the disturbance to others, myth of analgesic, use passive endurance of pain, learning to live with chronic pain. The results of this study will benefit clinicians and nursing students by providing a better insight of the experiences of chronic pain among elderly population residing in long-term care facilities in Taiwan and by guiding the development of nursing guideline for the management of chronic pain for the population. The recommendation for further study is to develop a Chinese version of assessment tool of chronic pain for elderly.