An early care void: The injury experience and perceptions of treatment among knee-injured individuals and healthcare professionals - A qualitative interview study

OBJECTIVES: To better comprehend the initial injury experience and care requirements of knee-injured individuals, as well as healthcare professionals' interactions with early care.

DESIGN: Qualitative interviews.

SETTING: Public healthcare in Denmark.

PARTICIPANTS: Ten individuals (6 women) with major knee injuries (6 anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and meniscal tears, 2 isolated ACL tears, 1 isolated meniscal tear, 1 patella dislocation), aged 16-33 years (median 19 years), 1-26 months post-injury (median 3 months). Thirteen HCPs (5 physiotherapists, 5 orthopedic surgeons, 3 general practitioners).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Semi-structured individual and focus group interviews, transcribed verbatim and with latent thematic analysis.

RESULTS: The three main themes were: 1) Emotional struggles in solitude - knee-injured individuals dealing with emotions alone due to limited HCP resources for emotional support. 2) Blurry beginning - knee-injured individuals finding initial care frustrating, a sentiment shared by HCPs. 3) A journey with no map - knee-injured individuals holding varied outcome expectations, while HCPs hesitate to discuss long-term knee health.

CONCLUSION: Early care for knee-injured individuals is filled with worries and unmet emotional and information support needs. HCPs need more support and training to deliver timely and appropriate care.