“It will go away”: A descriptive qualitative study about unwelcome and bad advice in chronic conditions

Background: More than half of Americans lived with at least one chronic condition in 2018 and more than one-quarter lived with multiple chronic conditions. Many individuals with chronic conditions report receiving unsolicited and, often, bad advice from non-medical professionals, including family, friends, and even complete strangers. Aim: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the bad and unwanted advice that individuals with chronic conditions receive from non-medical professionals. Methods: We used a descriptive qualitative approach to investigate our research questions and collected qualitative responses using a Qualtrics survey. Participants included 45 individuals over the age of 19, who identified having at least one chronic medical condition. Results: Using an inductive process through thematic analysis, we found four overarching themes: (1) bad advice, (2) responses to bad advice, (3) impact of bad advice on relationships, and (4) an unchanged response, as well as several subthemes. Discussion: Overall, findings suggested that while advice-givers tended to have good intentions, they were perceived as uneducated about chronic conditions. Participants expressed feelings that the advice was unhelpful and, in some cases, potentially harmful. Conclusions: The findings contribute new knowledge to the area of chronic conditions and bad advice received from non-medical professionals.