Patienters upplevelser av att leva med venösa bensår utifrån ett fysiskt, psykiskt och socialt perspektiv - En litteraturstudie
The purpose of this study was to describe patients? experiences when living with a venous leg ulcer in physical, psychological and social perspectives. The articles used to describe this condition were found in the databases: PubMed and Cinahl. Ten articles were included in the result: five with a qualitative approach, two with a quantitative approach and three with both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The results were presented through three headings: physical, psychological and social. Patients? experienced a lack of mobility due to the symptoms caused by the leg ulcer which included pain, swelling, exudates from the wound, and the volume of the bandage that made it difficult to wear shoes. Personal hygiene was also an issue because of the limitations of keeping themselves clean due to the bandaging of the leg. Common emotions to this condition were helplessness, sadness and anxiety. Though the negative emotions were more common than the positive, most patients still had hope for a future recovery. The majority of the patients lived isolated in their homes due to their health condition. The factors limiting their social life were decreased mobility, pain, exhaustion, shame, lack of endurance in the legs and limitations in clothes and shoes. The most common factor affecting patients was pain, seen throughout all three perspectives.