The experience of patients with rheumatoid arthritis admitted to hospital

Objective. To describe the experiences of patients with rheumatoid arthriti s (RA) when admitted to hospital. Methods. A selected sample of 9 women with RA of at least 3 years duration, who had experienced at least 5 days of inpatient care within the previous 2 years, underwent unstructured interviews in this qualitative, phenomenolo gical study. Information from the interviews was analyzed using Colaizzi's 6 procedural steps. Results. Five major themes emerged from the study: uncertainty during the f irst admission to hospital; the process of becoming an experienced patient on subsequent admissions; the evident experience and knowledge of staff, th e effect, both positive and negative, of other patients; and the loss of pr ivacy. Conclusion. These findings throw important new light on the experience of p atients with RA receiving inpatient rheumatologic care and have the potenti al to significantly advance nursing practice within rheumatology.