Qualitative study on the experiences of psychological distress in elderly hip fracture patients

Abstract: Objective To describe the experience of psychological distress in elderly hip fracture patients and to provide a basis for the identification of psychological distress in elderly hip fracture patients in China.Methods A descriptive phenomenological approach was adopted for this qualitative study. Purposeful sampling was used to conduct semi-structured interviews with elderly hip fracture patients who were in or had been discharged from the Department of Orthopaedics of a tertiary-level A hospital in Jilin Province during 20 February to 30 April 2024.The interview data were analyzed using Colaizzi’s seven-step method to extract themes.Results Three themes were identified in this study:Emotional experiences associated with psychological distress in elderly hip fracture patients,secondary physiological experiences of psychological distress in elderly hip fracture patients,and social and human experiences of psychological distress in elderly hip fracture patients.Conclusions Due to their age and environment,elderly hip fracture patients’ psychological pain is not easy to be discovered compared with that of young people,but it often affects their disease prognosis and quality of life,and needs more attention in clinic and life.This study is a preliminary exploration of the psychological pain experience of elderly hip fracture patients to provide a basis for the development of a special evaluation tool for psychological pain in elderly hip fracture patients.