Conference Proceedings - School of Nursing & Midwifery - Trinity ...

School of Nursing & Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin: 8 th Annual Interdisciplinary Research Conference
Transforming Healthcare Through Research, Education & Technology: 7 th – 9 th November 2007
Conference Proceedings
surgical treatment is completed? Are they entering a ‘black hole’?
This research was undertaken in response to these facts and
questions with the purpose of describing the patient’s perspective of
their experience from their illness.
The purpose of the study
The aim was to build nursing knowledge through research that
leads to description and comprehension (rather than prediction) of
this complex human phenomenon by providing an understanding of
individual perceptions and experiences of illness following surgery
for colorectal cancer.
Through knowledge gained a subjective knowing and greater
understanding of an individual’s experience can occur which may
serve to determine the care needs of these patients It may also
promote the health professional’s empathy and substantiate and
direct their style of care and develop initiatives to improve the
future care of others in similar situations.
Methodology
This study was carried out using a qualitative approach based on a
view that is both holistic and contextual and has the beliefs that
there is not a single reality and what we know has meaning only
within a given situation or context (O’Brien, 1998). That is, the
holistic philosophy that knowledge cannot be dissected from life
experience.
Within this interpretive paradigm a Giorgian phenomenological
approach, which in turn follows a Husserlian tradition, was adopted.
Phenomenological enquiry strives to bring to language the
perceptions of human experience and allowed for an in-depth
exploration of the individual patient’s perceptions of their illness
experiences. Since professional nursing practice is enmeshed in the
life experience of people, the phenomenological research method is
well suited to the investigation of phenomena important to nursing
(Streubert and Carpenter, 1995).
Data was collected from a purposeful sample of twenty subjects
utilising an in an in-depth semi-structured interview in a style based
around a topic guide and prompt questions, acknowledging the
methodological preference for gentle guidance rather than firm
control (Rose, 1994: Lincoln and Guba, 1985; Smith, 2003). The
questions were broad and open-ended, the use of closed or leading
questions was avoided, as the intention was to let the subjects
speak for themselves and to avoid influencing their answers in any
way. In anticipation that additional information may be required
several of the questions were prepared with probes designed to
obtain greater depth of understanding into their feelings and
- 754 -