Patients' experiences of consultations for nonspecific chronic orofacial pain: A phenomenological study.
OBJECTIVE
To use a qualitative research study to analyze the experiences of patients with nonspecific chronic orofacial pain with respect to consultations for their pain condition.


METHODS
Fourteen patients (11 women and 3 men; age range, 21 to 77 years) were strategically selected through a purposive sampling of the chronic orofacial pain patients referred to the Orofacial Pain Unit at the Faculty of Odontology, Malmö University, Malmö, Sweden. A qualitative research strategy based on phenomenological philosophy was chosen. Thematic in-depth interviews were conducted twice with each patient in order to expose the context of the orofacial pain condition. The interviews were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. The text material was analyzed to determine the attitude of the patients concerning their experience from the consultations.


RESULTS
All selected patients consented to participate. The patients expressed dissatisfaction with the consultations and related many examples of poor communication and understanding. The patients also felt a great need to be taken care of and expressed contradictory statements concerning pain improvement.


CONCLUSIONS
The results suggest that the communication between the patients and the care providers was unsatisfactory and that the patients were limited in their ability to develop a personal coping strategy.
Wolf
Eva
E
Department of Endodontics, Faculty of Odontology, Malmö University, Malmö, Sweden. eva.wolf@od.mah.se
Birgerstam
Pirjo
P
Nilner
Maria
M
Petersson
Kerstin
K
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005157:Facial Pain / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations