Psychosocial aspects of venous thromboembolic disease: an exploratory study

Venous thromboembolic disease (VTE) is a prevalent and life-threatening condition comprised of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE). Despite its prevalence and life-threatening nature, little empirical research explored the psychosocial consequences of VTE.

A convenience sample of 13 patients over age 18 with VTE within in the prior 2 years were interviewed with a detailed question guide but with an open-ended design to illicit the psychosocial impact of having been diagnosed and treated for VTE. Interview data were then isolated and organized around interview topics (e.g., thoughts on future risk, behavior changes). These sections were read and re-read in order to identify and index emerging categories and themes. All data relevant to the emerging categories were analysed using the method of constant comparison in which data were compared between and within transcripts to establish analytical categories and themes.

Qualitative data analysis revealed that the psychosocial impacts could be classified into social, emotional, behavioral, cognitive, and health services categories. The temporal context of VTE emerged as an important factor in whether psychosocial impacts were experienced, and on what types were experienced. The first few months after diagnosis resulted in the most dominant effects. Despite thrombophilia testing most patients did not appreciate the results or potential implications.

This exploratory study suggests that while experiencing a DVT or PE had few serious, long-term effects on patients, various psychosocial factors are important especially in the first 6 months. A quantitative study with a larger sample is currently in preparation by our group to shed further light on the psychosocial impacts of experiencing thrombosis.