Compliance to the compression therapy is the main key for its efficacy, and there is a universal agreement that progresses are needed in this field. The aim of this survey was to evaluate the feeling of the patients about their own compression treatment in order to better understand their motivations and limitations.

An auto-questionnaire consisting of six open questions was proposed to patients wearing long-term compression stockings for a chronic venous disorder but with no active ulcers. The questions related to the way they felt about their treatment, their three main motivations and three main difficulties, and how they had felt about their treatment when it was prescribed for the first time.

From July 22nd to September 8th 2015, 89 subjects were enrolled in eight centers. Their median age was 61 years (range 20-87); 83% were females. 51% had a chronic venous insufficiency (C3-C5). 77% wore French class II stockings. 60% of the patients felt positive about their treatment when only 9% were clearly negative, but most acknowledge that the beginning was rather difficult due to lack of information and guidance. The main motivations were the improvement of their symptoms (46%), the control of edema (24%) and the belief of their preventive effect (42%). The main difficulties were related to the discomfort in warm environment (43%), the donning of the stockings (33%), and the esthetic consequences (23%); 18% reported a total absence of difficulties. The practical advices of their attending vascular physician (28%° was the most important help they remember about when they started their treatment, before the relief in their symptoms (16%), and the fear for complications (14%). In many cases, the investigators were surprised about the answers of their patients. The verbatims of the patients cannot be reported in a summary but were vividly expressing their feelings.

This preliminary survey shows how important is the practical teaching of the patient by their prescribing physician, as well as the attention paid by the physician to their experience and feeling.

Therapeutic education of the patients seem to be the appropriate answer to most of the patients difficulties.