Self blame and fears among peri-operative hip fracture patients: a qualitative study

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Published: Sep 30, 2011
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5750/ijpcm.v1i3.110

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Fiona Webster
Assistant Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Kathleen Rice
Doctoral Candidate, Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Richard Jenkinson Jenkinson
Orthopaedic Surgery Associate, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Merrick Zwarenstein
Senior Scientist, Department of Health Policy Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Hans Kreder
Professor, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Abstract

Objective: Our team explored elderly patients’ experiences of waiting to undergo hip fracture surgery.Methods: We conducted in-depth qualitative interviews with postoperative patients on an orthopedic ward.Results: All patients had little recall of their fall, their transfer to hospital and were not concerned about surgical wait-times. Rather, our study participants were concerned with issues related to recovery and transfer to home or community. Most patients expressed fear and anxiety at the prospect of being transferred to a nursing home. They also expressed self-blame for having fallen, as most of these events took place while participants were undertaking routine household activities. Discussion: The concerns expressed by our interview participants suggest avenues for patient education. These include the need to provide advice that a cautious person may still fall, as well as information on what will typically happen should an individual fall and suffer debilitating injury requiring surgery.

Article Details

Issue
Vol. 1 No. 3 (2011): September
Section
Regular Articles

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