Living with peripheral vascular disease: patients and their carers

This study explores the life experiences of those with peripheral vascular disease (PVD) and their carers.

A sample of seven couples.

An ethnographic approach using taped interviews in participants' own homes.

Acceptance and adaptation were the core concepts to emerge from the data. Pain was identified as being central to the experience of PVD, with impaired mobility, loss of independence, disease progress and professional support being closely interrelated.

The themes highlighted the devastating nature of the experience of living with PVD. Those with PVD need to feel that the complexity of their experience is understood while carers need to feel their role is acknowledged. Health care professionals should develop their understanding of the experience of PVD for patients and their carers, and apply this knowledge to their practice.