Participants' Descriptions (participant + description)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Nurses' experiences of being present with a patient receiving a diagnosis of cancer

JOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 3 2000
Una Dunniece DipN BSc(Hons) RN
Nurses' experiences of being present with a patient receiving a diagnosis of cancer This paper reports the findings of a study which describes the experiences of nurses who were present with a patient when they received a diagnosis of cancer, cancer recurrence or prognosis of terminal cancer. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six nurses who had experience of caring for patients with cancer in an acute surgical setting. Data were analysed using a phenomenological descriptive approach. Participants' descriptions revealed the following seven core themes: ,What if it was me?'; divergent feelings; being there; becoming closer; method of disclosure; time as an influence and learning by reflection. Possible implications for nursing practice and education are discussed and recommendations are made for future research. [source]


Heart transplantation experiences: a phenomenological approach

JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 7b 2008
Maria Lúcia Araújo Sadala PhD
Aim., The aim of this study was to understand the heart transplantation experience based on patients' descriptions. Background., To patients with heart failure, heart transplantation represents a possibility to survive and improve their quality of life. Studies have shown that more quality of life is related to patients' increasing awareness and participation in the work of the healthcare team in the post-transplantation period. Deficient relationships between patients and healthcare providers result in lower compliance with the postoperative regimen. Method., A phenomenological approach was used to interview 26 patients who were heart transplant recipients. Patients were interviewed individually and asked this single question: What does the experience of being heart transplanted mean? Participants' descriptions were analysed using phenomenological reduction, analysis and interpretation. Results., Three categories emerged from data analysis: (i) the time lived by the heart recipient; (ii) donors, family and caregivers and (iii) reflections on the experience lived. Living after heart transplant means living in a complex situation: recipients are confronted with lifelong immunosuppressive therapy associated with many side-effects. Some felt healthy whereas others reported persistence of complications as well as the onset of other pathologies. However, all participants celebrated an improvement in quality of life. Health caregivers, their social and family support had been essential for their struggle. Participants realised that life after heart transplantation was a continuing process demanding support and structured follow-up for the rest of their lives. Conclusion., The findings suggest that each individual has unique experiences of the heart transplantation process. To go on living participants had to accept changes and adapt: to the organ change, to complications resulting from rejection of the organ, to lots of pills and food restrictions. Relevance to clinical practice., Stimulating a heart transplant patients spontaneous expression about what they are experiencing and granting them the actual status of the main character in their own story is important to their care. [source]


A temporary home to nurture health: lived experiences of older nursing home residents in Taiwan

JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 14 2008
Hsiu-Hsin Tsai PhD
Aim., This study explored the lived experiences of older nursing home residents in Taiwan. Background., With more long-term care institutions in Taiwan, older people are more often placed in nursing homes than in the past. Increased understanding of their lived experience is essential to assess residents' needs and determine the effectiveness of nursing interventions. Design., A qualitative design was used to gain a deeper understanding of the lived experiences of older nursing home residents in Taiwan. Methods., Focus groups, followed by in-depth interviews, were used to gather information from 33 older residents at eight nursing homes in northern Taiwan. Participants were asked to describe what was important to them and what impressed them most in their daily lives in the nursing home. Participants (24 females and nine males) were on an average 75·3 years old. Verbatim transcripts of audiotaped focus groups and interviews were analysed by thematic analysis via ATLAS.ti software. Results., The core theme of older residents' nursing home experience was ,a temporary home to nurture health'. This core theme was reflected in participants' descriptions of their overall life in the nursing home as a temporary experience to nurture their health. Their everyday experience was characterised by four subthemes: highly structured lifestyle, restricted activities, safety concerns and social interactions. Relevance to clinical practice., Our findings may enhance policy makers' and healthcare providers' understanding of the lived experience of older nursing home residents, thus guiding the evaluation and development of nursing home services to improve residents' lives. For example, residents with the same characteristics could be placed in the same room or same floor, thus increasing their interactions with other residents. Residents' interactions with family members could also be developed using the Internet or mobile telephones. [source]


Pathways Through Crime: The Development of Crime and Desistance in the Accounts of Men and Women Offenders

THE HOWARD JOURNAL OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE, Issue 3 2008
CLARE FIONA BYRNE
Abstract: Findings are presented of a qualitative exploration of offenders' accounts of themselves, their lives and their offending behaviour. Participants were nine male and nine female offenders, aged 19 to 50 years. A model of crime as described by these individuals was developed. Gendered meanings were explored in both men's and women's accounts. Pathways into crime described by the participants were shaped by a range of personal and social background influences and by processes related to negative social relations, positive evaluations of crime, and crime orientation. Changes in the same influences and processes, with a greater emphasis on the personal level, were apparent in participants' descriptions of their pathways out of crime. [source]