[Psychological stress before, during and after hospitalization for low back disease. Patients' experience illustrated...

Thirteen patients were interviewed 14 days after discharge for low back disease requiring hospitalization with the object of illustrating their experience of the period of waiting for admission, treatment in the primary and secondary health services, their relationships to children living at home during their illness and the effect of the low back disease on sexual life. The patients stated that the period of waiting was the worst, dominated by pain, uncertainty, loss of sleep and lowered self esteem. Treatment in the primary health sector was found to be unsatisfactory as regards relief of pain but satisfactory as regards contact with the general practitioner. In the secondary health sector, relief of pain was found to be satisfactory to varying extents while better contact with the doctor treating the case and the staff as a whole could be desired. Waiting and uncertainty while waiting for a diagnosis and result of treatment, inactivity and the poor contact with the staff were considered by the patients to be contributory causes to the increasing mental vulnerability. The relationship to children living at home was dominated by bad conscience prior to admission and by poor contact during hospitalization. Conditions improved after discharge. Practically no sexual activity occurred during the illness. This was not primarily experienced by the patients as a problem but they feared it might be so in the long run. Patients stated that they required mental support during hospitalization, better information and advice about practical problems after discharge.