Among the estimated 210,000 Australians living with the hepatitis C virus, over 80% will go on to live with chronic hepatitis C and its debilitating effects. Patients with chronic hepatitis C who have active inflammatory changes on liver biopsy may undergo combination therapy with interferon and ribavirin. Adverse effects of combination therapy can be variable in their nature, intensity and severity. They may be mild, reversible, moderate, or serious and life threatening. For some patients the adverse effects are so severe that it places enormous stress on partner relationships. Through a phenomenological approach using purposive sampling and semi-structured interviews of five patients and their partners, this study aimed to explore the issues surrounding chronic hepatitis C, combination therapy and personal relationships. The purpose of the study was to enhance understanding of the experiences of people living with the illness and undergoing treatment. The complexities that hepatitis C and treatment brings into the personal lives of people have led me to this study because there is a need to understand their impact on the personal relationships of patients and their partners. Through deeper understanding of their experiences, nurses can move beyond the medical oriented approach to treatment towards a holistic approach. The findings from this study revealed that chronic hepatitis C and combination therapy had an enormous impact on the lives of the patients, their partners and families. Both had significant physiological effects that impacted on quality of life, however, the social and psychological consequences of living with a highly stigmatised disease with an unknown course and outcome cannot be underestimated. The participants’ narratives provided a rich description of their experiences and offered insight into the life world of people living with chronic hepatitis C and combination therapy, and their partners. The themes that emerged from the study were: experiencing illness and treatment; keeping a secret; sharing the experience; and enduring struggle. Nurses play a significant role in educating patients with chronic hepatitis C, advocating for them and helping them to achieve a reasonable state of well being. Nurses also have the important role of providing partners with information and support that will assist them as caregivers. The results of this study lend support to the effectiveness of providing equitable services to persons diagnosed with chronic hepatitis C. However, additional research is needed to explore gender, socioeconomic, sexual-orientation, transmission, cultural and religious differences within this group to better address their needs. / Master of Nursing (Honours)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/182450 |
| Date | January 2007 |
| Creators | Sgorbini, Myra, University of Western Sydney, College of Health and Science, School of Nursing |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
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