Marginalised voices in wound care: Experiences of people who inject drugs living with leg ulceration “The Gutter, the Nick or a Box!!”

Abstract

Portraying the authentic voice of people who inject drugs (PWID) through narrative means is novel in contemporary literature. The study explored the experiences of PWID living with chronic leg ulceration using qualitative methodology set in a naturalistic paradigm. Led from the perspective of a nurse-researcher in the field of wound management, the study is original from a purist narrative perspective and offers a unique opportunity to gain a rare glimpse into the daily life of PWID as reported in their own words.The methodology chosen was diaries conducted over four weeks, followed by semi-structured interviews. The study was set in North London (UK); participants were recruited from three sites: a general acute NHS hospital, the community and a non-NHS clinical facility. Complete data collection took over 12 months. Open coding was used for word-by-word scrutiny of each diary entry and thematic analysis. The qualitative data software tool NVivo Version-10 was used to support this analysis.Ten participants completed the data collection process: seven males and three females (age range 35–62 years), with heterogeneous socio-economic and cultural backgrounds. The findings revealed the detailed suffering participants endured living with their ulcer: pain, shame and healing were among the emerging themes. The self-blame and punishment triggered by stigma was a detriment to the mental and physical health of participants. Those in contact with specialist wound care services saw a significant improvement in wound healing and this had a positive impact on their wellbeing and their overall outlook on life.This research contributes to science and practice by understanding the lives of PWID living with leg ulceration. It provides a platform from which to engage both generalist and specialist healthcare practitioners and has the potential to inform and improve current service provision of leg ulcer care for this population and to influence medical and social policy-making in this field.