Barriers to self-management of patients with adenomyosis: A qualitative study

Abstract

Aim: This study aims to explore the barriers to self-management of patients with adenomyosis. Design: Phenomenological qualitative methodology. Methods: Totally, 18 patients with diagnosis of adenomyosis participated in this study. We used purposive sampling for recruitment until data saturation. A qualitative research was conducted using in-depth interviews, which were tape recorded and transcribed verbatim. Colaizzi's method was used to analyse the contents of interviews. Results: This study presented important information about the barriers to self-management of patients with adenomyosis in China. Four themes were identified: “lack of disease knowledge,” “challenges and dilemmas of daily life,” “multidimensional negative emotions” and “personalized supporting requirements.”. Conclusion: The study provided new insights into the barriers to self-management of patients with adenomyosis, including physical, psychological, daily life and self-image problems, and the patients need emotional and social support, which recommended that professionals should provide authoritative health education and multiple support.