{"title":"Daily life without cranial bone protection while awaiting cranioplasty: a qualitative study.","authors":"Henrietta Gustavsson, Eva Jangland, Lena Nyholm","doi":"10.1007/s00701-024-06217-5","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Decompressive craniectomy is occasionally performed as a life-saving neurosurgical intervention in patients with acute severe brain injury to reduce refractory intracranial hypertension. Subsequently, cranioplasty (CP) is performed to repair the skull defect. In the meantime, patients are living without cranial bone protection, and little is known about their daily life. This study accordingly explored daily life among patients living without cranial bone protection after decompressive craniectomy while awaiting CP.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A multiple-case study examined six purposively sampled patients, patients' family members, and healthcare staff. The participants were interviewed and the data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The cross-case analysis identified five categories: \"Adapting to new ways of living,\" \"Constant awareness of the absence of cranial bone protection,\" \"Managing daily life requires available staff with adequate qualifications,\" \"Impact of daily life depends on the degree of recovery,\" and \"Daily life stuck in limbo while awaiting cranioplasty.\" The patients living without cranial bone protection coped with daily life by developing new habits and routines, but the absence of cranial bone protection also entailed inconveniences and limitations, particularly among the patients with greater independence in their everyday living. Time spent awaiting CP was experienced as being in limbo, and uncertainty regarding planning was perceived as frustrating.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The results indicate a vulnerable group of patients with brain damage and communication impairments struggling to find new routines during a waiting period experienced as being in limbo. Making this period safe and reducing some problems in daily life for those living without cranial bone protection calls for a person-centered approach to care involving providing contact information for the correct healthcare institution and individually planned scheduling for CP.</p>","PeriodicalId":7370,"journal":{"name":"Acta Neurochirurgica","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9000,"publicationDate":"2024-08-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11333547/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Acta Neurochirurgica","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00701-024-06217-5","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"CLINICAL NEUROLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Purpose: Decompressive craniectomy is occasionally performed as a life-saving neurosurgical intervention in patients with acute severe brain injury to reduce refractory intracranial hypertension. Subsequently, cranioplasty (CP) is performed to repair the skull defect. In the meantime, patients are living without cranial bone protection, and little is known about their daily life. This study accordingly explored daily life among patients living without cranial bone protection after decompressive craniectomy while awaiting CP.
Methods: A multiple-case study examined six purposively sampled patients, patients' family members, and healthcare staff. The participants were interviewed and the data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis.
Results: The cross-case analysis identified five categories: "Adapting to new ways of living," "Constant awareness of the absence of cranial bone protection," "Managing daily life requires available staff with adequate qualifications," "Impact of daily life depends on the degree of recovery," and "Daily life stuck in limbo while awaiting cranioplasty." The patients living without cranial bone protection coped with daily life by developing new habits and routines, but the absence of cranial bone protection also entailed inconveniences and limitations, particularly among the patients with greater independence in their everyday living. Time spent awaiting CP was experienced as being in limbo, and uncertainty regarding planning was perceived as frustrating.
Conclusion: The results indicate a vulnerable group of patients with brain damage and communication impairments struggling to find new routines during a waiting period experienced as being in limbo. Making this period safe and reducing some problems in daily life for those living without cranial bone protection calls for a person-centered approach to care involving providing contact information for the correct healthcare institution and individually planned scheduling for CP.
期刊介绍:
The journal "Acta Neurochirurgica" publishes only original papers useful both to research and clinical work. Papers should deal with clinical neurosurgery - diagnosis and diagnostic techniques, operative surgery and results, postoperative treatment - or with research work in neuroscience if the underlying questions or the results are of neurosurgical interest. Reports on congresses are given in brief accounts. As official organ of the European Association of Neurosurgical Societies the journal publishes all announcements of the E.A.N.S. and reports on the activities of its member societies. Only contributions written in English will be accepted.