Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a disease which may cause gradual narrowing and possibly congestion of arteries that are responsible for nourishing the lower limbs. Most often this condition develops consequently with atherosclerosis. The most advanced stage of PAD is called critical limb ischemia. The changes induced by atherosclerosis affect not only the lower limb arteries, but at the time of the diagnosis of PAD all arteries in the body are already affected. Therefore PAD belongs among cardiovascular diseases and its diagnosis is a negative prognostic factor of the overall cardiovascular risk. The aim of treatment interventions is to reduce complications that accompany this ailment and their impact on the patient's life. The aim of the thesis was to find out to what extend the patients are informed about the causes of PAD, options of its treatment and the impact of prevention and life style on the overall prognosis of the disease. The first objective of the thesis is to find out if patients are aware of the risks of PAD treatment, one of which is leg amputation. The second objective is to find out whether the patients are sufficiently informed about their condition. The third objective is to evaluate whether patients follow the prescribed treatment. The fourth objective is to find out whether patients are willing to change their life style in order to eliminate the risk of lower limb amputation. A part of interviews with patients was to educate them about their condition, the necessity of following the treatment regimen and the impact of lifestyle on the affected leg prognosis. At the end, the interviewed received educational handouts with information about the most important suggested procedures to follow. The practical part of the thesis is based on qualitative research. The data was collected in semi-structured interviews. The interviews were conducted in two steps. The first step was to educate patients about PAD and distribute informational handouts. The second round of interviews took place intentionally several months after the first ones. Their purpose was to assess the impact of education on patients' compliance with treatment and regimen. The research shows the majority of the interviewed were well-informed about the crucial aspects of their condition and treatment procedures. The participants understood the given information and considered it satisfactory. However, it was surprising that patients had not looked for information themselves. Simultaneously, it was ascertained that most of the respondents were aware of the prognosis and risks related to the treatment. The two-step interviews showed some respondents were not aware of the causes of their disease. It can be therefore assumed that their ignorance of the risk factors and their impact on the development of the disease is the reason why patients do not give enough importance to the suggested treatment regimen. Furthermore, it was found out that they had not look for a substitute solution if they are not able to follow the recommended treatment regimen. The results of this thesis show that although the elimination of the risk factors is crucial for patients' future they do not pay enough attention to them. There are two aspects to it; either patients trivialize the potential risks or are apathetic or are not sufficiently informed. It is hard to have some impact on patients' apathy and trivialization of their condition. Nevertheless, it is possible to influence the second aspect, which is the subject of the final part of the thesis and the educational handout. As was discovered during the interviews, the information provided by doctors during ambulatory treatment is not thorough and does not include practical advice how to follow treatment regimen. Patients should be informed by nurse either personally or during the sessions. In this way the patient should be also selfmotivated in their treatment.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:nusl.cz/oai:invenio.nusl.cz:175351 |
| Date | January 2014 |
| Creators | SVATOŠOVÁ, Gabriela |
| Source Sets | Czech ETDs |
| Language | Czech |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | info:eu-repo/semantics/masterThesis |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess |
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