Patient experiences of Dupuytren's contracture and its treatment : a qualitative investigation

Our aim was to investigate patient experiences of Dupuytren's contracture and its treatment.

A purposive sample of 45 participants enrolled in the Dupuytren's Interventions Surgery vs Collagenase (DISC) trial. Participants were interviewed three to six months after treatment. Interviews were semistructured and analyzed using an inductive, thematic approach, with data collection and analysis integrated iteratively.

Participants reported living for extended periods with contracture and seeking medical advice only when they had trouble doing practical tasks or when self-conscious about their appearance. Most participants reported improvement irrespective of treatment modality. Some participants who were treated with collagenase noted that while the outcome was not perfect, it was acceptable. More participants who were treated with collagenase reported preferring collagenase in the future, compared with the proportion preferring further surgery.

This research contributes to our knowledge of how treatments for Dupuytren's contracture are understood and experienced. It demonstrates that treatment experience is important to patients, and that they are often willing to accept a compromise in outcome for an easier treatment experience. Patients may be willing to accept multiple, repeated treatments. As a result, non-surgical or noninvasive treatment options, such as collagenase, are likely to be popular and could reduce delay in seeking treatment.