ObjectiveTo explore the real experiences of women of childbearing age with epilepsy during their reproductive decision-making process, and to provide a basis for clinical practitioners in managing the reproductive decision-making of this group of women and implementing decision support. MethodsSixteen women of childbearing age with epilepsy who were hospitalized in the Epilepsy Center of Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical Universityi in Beijing from April 2024 to June 2024 were selected through purposive sampling. The Colaizzi phenomenological data analysis method was employed, and the data were organized and analyzed with the aid of Nvivo 11.0 software to extract themes. ResultsThree themes and eight sub-themes were extracted: The majority of patients had reproductive demands (personal role expectations, family and social pressure), Uncertainties in reproductive behaviors and outcomes (uncertainties in the pregnancy process caused by the disease, uncertainties in the reproductive outcome caused by the disease), and Encountering reproductive decision-making predicaments (lack of professional knowledge, conflicting information from different channels, multiple factors influencing reproductive decision-making, and various negative experiences associated with decision-making). ConclusionThe majority of women of childbearing age with epilepsy have reproductive needs and encounter decision-making predicaments. Medical staff should pay attention to their true experiences, offer adequate support and assistance, and help patients extricate themselves from the decision-making predicament to make scientific and rational decisions.
Objective To explore the actual experience of epileptic patients in video electroencephalogram (VEEG) examination, and to provide reference basis for formulating corresponding nursing strategies and coping methods. MethodsIn this descriptive analysis study, 18 patients (11 males and 7 females, average age 37.78±18.7 years) receiving VEEG from January to April 2022 in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, underwent a semi-structural interview. Information obtained from the interview was analyzed using the Colaizzi 7-step method. ResultsThe actual experience of epileptic patients in video EEG examination can be summarized into two aspects: the medical experience and the need for nursing care. The medical experience includes positive and negative experience. The positive experience includes good service attitude, professional medical services, good endurance, and being hopeful. The negative experience includes a weird feeling in the head, insomnia, inconvenience in life, eye discomfort, psychological pressure, and pain. The need for nursing care includes needs for knowledge, strong needs for communicating with doctors, needs for humanistic care and female needs for female implementing the equipment. Conclusion Epileptic patients suffer from different degrees of discomfort and psychological pressure during VEEG examination. Both negative and positive experience exist. Medical staff should improve the content of nursing services according to the nursing needs of patients and provide professional VEEG examination services to patients.