Symptom experience and self-management strategies of adults undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation after hospital discharge: A longitudinal qualitative study.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To explore the symptom experience and self-management strategies of adults undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation after hospital discharge. METHODS: A longitudinal qualitative study was employed. A heterogeneous sample of 22 patients who underwent hematopoietic stem cell transplantation from August 2022 to April 2023 were included. Semi-structured interviews were conducted at three time points post-discharge and provided a dataset of 56 interviews. The content analysis method was used for manual analysis. This study followed the COREQ checklist. RESULTS: The data from this study were categorized into four themes and 14 subthemes (1) complexity and multidimensionality of symptom experience diversity, dynamism, continuity, relatedness, and functional loading; (2) multiple variations in symptom self-management; (3) barriers to symptom self-management limited access to information resources, insufficient awareness and skills in symptom self-management, lack of economic and social support, and difficulties in medical visits and reviews; and (4) facilitators of symptom self-management perceived benefits, experience-driven, and peer experiences. CONCLUSION: Patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation experience multiple and complex symptom experiences after hospital discharge, and their symptom self-management remains challenging. The findings underscore the necessity for healthcare professionals to regularly and consistently evaluate the symptoms and self-management practices of patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and execute focused interventions to alleviate their symptom load and enhance their long-term well-being.