Qualitative phenomenological study, beyond the disease, emotions in chronic patients during their hospitalization

Abstract

The emotional health of people with chronic pathologies goes beyond a biomedical perspective. The hospital stay of chronic patients generates various emotions that affect their well-being such as anxiety, stress, depression, fear, anger, loneliness, hope, and acceptance. These emotions can arise due to uncertainty about health, separation from loved ones, and physical limitations. The objective of this research is to reveal the emotions that chronic patients experience during their hospital stay. An exploratory qualitative methodology with a phenomenological approach was used. The data collection technique was through a semi-structured interview. The participants were chronic hospitalized patients. The results were analyzed by categorizing the data, according to the expression of emotions of the patients and 3 categories emerged: 1) Emotions and feelings regarding the diagnosis, 2) Affectation of emotions in different environments, 3) Expectations of life in the face of his illness. After this, the data was analyzed through text mimicry to identify patterns. It is concluded that the emotions experienced by chronic patients are negative and influence their social and family environment, however, they have positive life expectations.