Somayeh Ghafari
Isfahan University, Iran
Title: Exploring the rehabilitation care process of patients with multiple sclerosis
Biography
Biography: Somayeh Ghafari
Abstract
Many physical, psychological, familial, social problems, financial losses of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) caused rehabilitation care process essential for the patients to diminish these symptoms and side effects. Exploring the rehabilitation care process helps the rehabilitation care team to provide safe and high quality care. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the rehabilitation care process of patients with multiple sclerosis. A qualitative grounded theory method was used in this study. The study participants were 40 people with MS chosen via purposeful sampling. Participants including: Patients, family members, nurses, physicians, physiotherapists, psychologists and other members of rehabilitation care team. Subsequently, the data were analyzed according to ‘the Strauss and Corbin constant comparative analysis method. Data analysis showed that the main concern of patients and their families was the loss of independence and productivity. Faced with this concern, the participants were passed "perception of disease threat" "decline in the personal integrity" "strive to accept and adapt to disease" and actualized patents’ abilities with maximum independence "in order to" return to a productive and independent life". These attempts to return to a productive and independent life reflected the process of rehabilitation care that was done by patients, families and health care team in an interactive, dynamic, participatory, but was not coordinated. In this way, there were a number of inhibitors that often lead to failure of the process. Finally the "theory of trying to return to a productive and independent life" was explored of gathered data. Results showed that the core concept of rehabilitation care process in MS patients was "actualizing the abilities". The inhibiting factors often caused the patients failure to return to an independent and productive life. It seems designing an appropriate model of rehabilitation care based on the findings of this study may overcome the barriers and lead patients to have a productive and independent life.