Between three chairs: Experiences of being a patient with chronic widespread pain in an intersectoral setting in Denmark

Abstract

This study explores how patients with chronic widespread pain experience their contacts with health and social services in Denmark, including general practice, hospitals, and municipality job centers. We analyzed interviews with 10 patients using interpretative phenomenological analysis and found the following four superordinate themes: meeting different attitudes, fragmentation of treatment, the importance of time, and feeling trapped. Findings show that when patients do not feel understood by professionals, they can resort to withdrawal strategies. On an organizational level, patients said that they needed sufficient time in meetings and better coordination of interventions in and between the health and social care sectors.