title: Uncertainty in patients with unruptured intracranial aneurysms undergoing endovascular surgery: a qualitative and inductive study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Advances in diagnostic imaging technology have increased opportunities to discover unruptured intracranial aneurysms (UIA), and prior research has shown that UIA patients experience uncertainty both when making choices regarding treatment and after surgery.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to clarify the nature of the uncertainty experienced by UIA patients who elect to undergo endovascular surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data from interviews with 31 subjects were synthesized with findings from previous research and then analyzed qualitatively and inductively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Six categories were derived from the analysis to describe the uncertainty experienced by UIA patients who undergo intravascular surgery: Nature of the Disease, Treatment Characteristics, Information, Decision-making, Course of the Future, and Living with UIA.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The Treatment Characteristics and Decision-making categories reflect new aspects of uncertainty arising from advances in diagnostic imaging and appeared specific to patients with UIA. This suggests a need to select appropriate nursing methods adapted to the situation of each patient that can both reduce and manage their uncertainty. Developing an uncertainty scale for UIA patients based on the structural concepts clarified in this study and investigating reliability and validity of scores are topics for future research.
authors.affiliation: Mitsumi Masuda, PhD, RN, is Lecturer, Nursing Science, School of Nursing, Adult Nursing and Critical Care Nursing, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Japan. Hidenori Oishi, PhD, MD, is Professor, Medical Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Neurosurgery and Neuroendovascular Therapy, Juntendo University, Tokyo, Japan. Munetaka Yamamoto, PhD, MD, is Associate Professor, Medical Science, School of Medicine, Neurosurgery, Juntendo University, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Mitsumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Masuda
authors.forename: Hidenori
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Oishi
authors.forename: Munetaka
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003657:Decision Making; D057510:Endovascular Procedures / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D002532:Intracranial Aneurysm / Q000523:psychology* / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014041:Tokyo; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D035501:Uncertainty