Psychological experience of inpatients with acute pancreatitis: a qualitative study

Objective This study aimed to better understand the psychological experiences of inpatients with acute pancreatitis (AP). Design We used a qualitative descriptive study design to capture patients with AP's thoughts, feelings and behavioural responses. Setting We conducted this study in the gastroenterology departments of two tertiary hospitals in Eastern China. Participants We used a convenience sampling approach to recruit 28 inpatients with AP from 1 August 2020 to 25 December 2020. The interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. We employed an adapted version of Colaizzi's qualitative analysis approach to examine the data. Results We extracted three themes and eight subthemes regarding the participants' psychological experiences: (1) feeling that their disease is unpredictable (the inability to recognise the disease, uncertainty about the illness and fear of progression or recurrence); (2) various kinds of stress and support (feeling different degrees of stress, perceiving social support, seeking and craving social support); and (3) developing self-adaptability in the disease process (treating one's illness negatively or positively). Conclusions Cognitive and emotional responses vary in patients with AP during hospitalisation. Moreover, patients with distinct conditions demonstrate significant differences in their responses and coping mechanisms. Healthcare providers need to mobilise social support and formulate comprehensive intervention strategies according to patients' individual characteristics.