Experience of suffering in patients with hypertension: a qualitative analysis of in-depth interview of patients in a university hospital in Seoul, Republic of Korea.

The illness experience of patients with hypertension consists of suffering associated with threatened or damaged self-identity at the individual and social level. Medical professionals should have more awareness of the suffering of these patients to improve the quality of care. An education programme with proper focus on the elements of patients' suffering may help to alleviate it.