Abstract
Objectives: The present study aimed to explore the daily experiences of patients with unruptured intracranial aneurysms through a wait-and-see approach and examining nursing support.
Methods: We employed a phenomenological approach and conducted a survey using unstructured interviews of patients with unruptured intracranial aneurysms who had been monitored for more than a year. Data were analysed using Giorgi's method of phenomenological analysis.
Results: The qualitative analysis of data gained from the 17 subjects revealed 20 essential factors. We divided these into 3 aspects: (1) diagnosis and treatment experiences, (2) coping and life restructuring, and (3) living with aneurysm. Subjects, though burdened with “anxiety that cannot be wiped away,” had coped with it in various ways including “gradually increasing the range of daily activities” or “minimizing the risk of rupture,” and ultimately gained “confidence and assurance that built up over time.” With respect to the particular aspect of ‘living with aneurysm,’ we found that patients followed three phases, including “reinterpreting aneurysm in one's own way,” “looking at the positive aspects of the condition,” and “learning to keep an appropriate distance from aneurysm.”
Conclusions: We demonstrate the need for follow-up that incorporates nursing support. This support should maintain a balance between preventative action and anxiety, reinterpret and acknowledge the positive aspects of this condition, and help to define and understand an appropriate distance from aneurysm.
