Exploring the lived experience of Arab male patients on intermittent catheterization after spinal cord injury: A phenomenological study.

Background: Intermittent catheterization (IC) has been identified as one of the critical techniques used by spinal cord injury (SCI) patients to cope with emptying the bladder, despite several problems impeding this procedure.

Aim: The study aimed accordingly to explore the lived experience of Arab male patients on IC after their SCI.

Design: This study was carried out by using a descriptive qualitative approach with a phenomenological analysis of data.

Methods: A qualitative study was carried out on 10 Arab male patients from the Rehabilitation Hospital at King Fahad Medical City (KFMC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia who were utilizing intermittent catheters following SCI. The interviews were analysed using Husserl's phenomenology and the Colaizzi method of data analysis.

Results: Two major themes and six sub-themes were identified from exploring the patients experience. These themes are as follows: Theme 1: The Way to IC; with two sub-themes: (i) 'service provided and acceptance' and (ii) 'educational experience'; Theme 2: Lifestyle and self-adaptation; with four sub-themes: (i) 'Flexibility and freedom', (ii) 'Physical access to the community', (iii) 'Traveling' and (iv) 'Work and Social life balance'.

Conclusion: It is evident that using an intermittent catheter among patients with SCI influenced almost all aspects of the participant's life, including their social lives and body image appearance.