scholarly journals Reflections on volunteer nurses' work and caring experiences during COVID-19: a phenomenological study

2021 ◽  
pp. 174498712110075
Author(s):  
Loretta Yuet Foon Chung ◽  
Lin Han ◽  
Yifei Du ◽  
Libo Liu

Background With epidemics emerging at a hastened pace, a phenomenological study allows researchers to cast aside their perceptions to understand nurses’ lived experiences, and from there to discover previously unavailable insights at the epicentre of a pandemic. Aims To understand volunteer nurses’ lived experiences in Wuhan. Methods A descriptive phenomenological study with a purposive sampling strategy was used to describe volunteer nurses’ experiences in Wuhan. Interviews continued until data saturation. Ten semi-structured interviews of 30 to 60 minutes duration were conducted from 27 to 30 March 2020. The narrative data were audiotaped, transcribed and analysed using Colaizzi’s method. Results Four themes emerged: mission and challenges denoted the participants’ realisation of the grim challenges ahead; challenges called for actions that described the concerted actions through partnerships and familial bonds; caring acts from all around revealed an external support system; and actions that made a difference portrayed the interplay of actions with feelings, thoughts and further actions to accomplish the mission. Conclusions This phenomenological study showed the interplay of nurses’ intentions and actions, and ‘actions speak louder than words’ when nurses were motivated by workmates’ actions to change their feelings, thoughts and actions. The concerted efforts can be used to develop educational programmes, management strategies and institutional policy on structure, system and resource utilisation, as well as dissemination of scientific knowledge to global healthcare workers and the public.

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marzieh Panahi ◽  
Zahra Tazakori ◽  
Mansoureh Karimollahi

Abstract Background: Chronic illness in children causes more mental health risks for parents than other members of the family. Therefore, exploring the experiences of parents living with young women who have multiple sclerosis and presenting them to healthcare planners and managers can have a positive impact on community health. This study aimed to explore the experiences of parents of young women with multiple sclerosis in Iran. Methods: This research was a phenomenological study, and sampling was continued until data saturation, and 12 participants were chosen. The data were gathered using semi-structured interviews and analyzed using Colaizzi's method. Results: Open coding resulted in 450 codes, and after several stages of analysis and integration of similar codes, five main concepts, and 21 sub-concepts was produced. The main concepts included distress, trapping, adaptation barriers, response to illness, and reconciliation with the disease. Conclusion: This study showed the disease affects all dimensions of the parents' life and can lead to the experiences that are new to them and may lead to confusion. These findings can lead to more effective parental care for their daughters. It can also reduce the burden of disease on the family, the health system, and the community.


Author(s):  
Shoaleh Bigdeli ◽  
Hamid Reza Koohestani ◽  
Seyed Kamran Soltani Arabshahi ◽  
Mohammad Hasan Keshavarzi

The hidden curriculum refers to student experiences that occur outside the formal structure of the curriculum, and especially the messages provided by the education system concerning values, perspectives, behaviors, and attitudes which has a strong influence on students' professional development. This study aimed at explaining the lived experiences of undergraduate medical students about the “hidden curriculum.” This was a qualitative phenomenological study. Participants were medical students of Iran University of Medical Sciences and they were chosen by purposive sampling method based on the inclusion criteria. Semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions were conducted with 10 students until data saturation, and 7-step Colaizzi's method was utilized for the purposes of analyzing the study findings. In the process of analyzing data from medical students' lived experiences about hidden curriculum, the following three themes were extracted: 1. Conflict in value beliefs (sub-themes: not giving priority to students education, applicability to the clinical practice of  basic sciences, attitude towards discipline, professional ethics, justice in evaluation”) 2. Modeling teacher’s communication skills patterns (sub-themes: “teacher-patient relationship,” “teacher -student relationship and professor-colleagues relationship) 3. Effective teaching (sub-themes: “clinical teaching” and “theoretical teaching”). Based on the results of the study, the hidden curriculum has both positive and negative impacts on various aspects of learning, especially the attitudinal domain. Consequently, paying specific attention to hidden curriculums is an absolute need. © 2019 Tehran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved. Acta Med Iran 2019;57(5):308-315.


Author(s):  
Pedro Aguas

Furthering innovation in English as a foreign language curriculum has been a concern for the Colombian educational system for many years. Nevertheless, the major attempts at the national level continue to fail. Through this phenomenological study of 12 participants at a an urban public school in grades 6-12 I attempted to answer the phenomenological question, “What were the lived experiences of key stakeholders involved in implementing an aligned curriculum at an urban public school in a northern city in Colombia, South America? “The theoretical framework that guides this study included innovation, the theory of policy attribution, and the learner-centered philosophy. The study employed Moustakas’ modification of the Stevick-Colaizzi’s-Keen method of phenomenological analysis and van Manen’s (1990) hermeneutic approach to phenomenology. The researcher collected the data through in-depth, semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and reflective diaries. Seven themes emerged from the data: (a) aligned curriculum and political aims, (b) awareness of the significance of affectiveness, (c) a sense of ownership and lifelong learning, (d) communication as the cornerstone of implementation, (e) ability to face uncertainty and challenges, (f) ability to create transformational leadership, and (g) transcendence toward innovation. The study highlights the feasibility of curriculum innovation at the secondary level with key stakeholders’ commitment and full potential.


2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-24
Author(s):  
Timothée Cayrol ◽  
Emma Godfrey ◽  
Jerry Draper-Rodi ◽  
Lindsay Bearne

AIMS: Circus is a physically demanding profession, but injury and help-seeking rates tend to be low. This qualitative interview study explored the perceptions and beliefs about injury and help-seeking of circus artists. METHODS: Ten professional circus artists (5 males, 5 females; mean age 33 yrs, range 27–42) were enrolled. Individual, semi-structured interviews were conducted until data saturation of themes was reached. Data were analysed thematically. FINDINGS: Four themes were identified: 1) the injured artist; 2) professionalism; 3) circus life; and 4) artists’ experience of healthcare. Most participants described the circus as central to their lives, and injuries had wide-ranging psychosocial consequences. Injury adversely affected participants’ mood and threatened their identity. Situational and personal factors (e.g., the belief that pain was normal) pushed participants to use adaptive strategies to perform when injured. Continuous touring and financial constraints affected help-seeking. Easy access to healthcare was rare and participants often self-managed injuries. Experiences of healthcare varied, and participants desired flexible and accessible approaches to prevention and injury management. A modified version of the integrated model of psychological response to injury and rehabilitation process and the concept of identity provided a framework to understand participants. CONCLUSION: Injuries had extensive negative consequences. Work schedules, financial factors, employer support, the artist’s perception of the importance of the show, and the relationship between circus and identity influenced injury management and help-seeking. Injury prevention and management strategies could be optimised by developing centres of expertise, online resources, and better regulations of the profession.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 373-411
Author(s):  
Lolita A. Dulay ◽  
Elvira Sumbalan

This study explored the lived experiences of the Bukidnon State University Graduate student scholars in the Mindanao Regions during the School Year 2014-2020. The study delved into the scholars’ experiences in the six related factors, namely: students, BukSU faculty, BukSU administration, DepEd administration, work, and family. A phenomenological qualitative research design was employed. Twelve graduate student scholars were the participants of the study. The triangulation approach employing interviews, focus group discussions, and document review in the gathering of data assured the validity of the findings. Participants’ narratives on their lived experiences underwent transcriptions and analysis using Colaizzi’s method (1978). There were six (6) themes that surfaced-out from the lived experiences of the graduate student scholars, namely: Challenging yet, fulfilling Student-Learning Experiences; Satisfying Learning Experience with Well-rounded graduate faculty; Heart-warming learning experience with the BukSU Administration; Impressive support from the DepEd Administration; Pressured learning experience; and encouraging support system.  A model showcasing the meaningful experiences of the graduate scholars and the attributes of how these scholars succeed in the pursuit of a graduate degree came out from these emerging themes.


2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 451-477
Author(s):  
Fei Wang

This phenomenological study provided an in-depth description of the internal meaning of the lived experiences of Canadian-born and foreign-born Chinese students in Canada and uncovered the differences in their social experiences. The study used semi-structured interviews to allow the participants to express their views on their lives in Northern Ontario, Canada. Four themes emerged: (a) perceptions of ethnic identity; (b) cultural integration; (c) perceptions of academic performance and (d) the effect of Canadian education on career options. The study revealed that Canadian-born Chinese students differed from their foreign-born counterparts in their viewpoints on ethnic identity; their perceptions concerning acculturation; and academic performance. They shared similarities in their views about Canadian and Chinese educational systems, teaching styles, and their career expectations.


2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 216-224
Author(s):  
Vidi Sukmayadi ◽  
Azizul Halim Yahya

Objective: This study is aimed at exploring the motivation and impression management strategies of “Instagram Stories” users. Materials and Methods: The authors interviewed 30 Instagram influencers in updating their contents on the Instagram Stories feature. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to capture the informants’ experience and consciousness in producing their online content as a part of their impression management. Results: The main findings of the study were as follows; First, Self-existence, viewers’ attractiveness, and innovativeness of the application have become the core motivation for the users in choosing the Instastory feature. Secondly, the impression management applied by the users as their front stage lies in the construction of their uploaded contents. Lastly, the users of Instagram Stories constructed their content in the form of thematic consistency, uniqueness, “captions” and information (image) editing. Conclusion: The present study indicated that the impression management pattern in using Instagram stories had become an integral part of the uploaded content to fulfil the users’ highest self-satisfaction and maximum impacts on the viewers as well as their virtual followers.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatemeh Touhidi Nezhad ◽  
Rostam Jalali ◽  
Fozieh Karimi

Abstract Background: Obstetric fistulas are one of the most tragic injuries that occur after difficult, prolonged childbirth without timely intervention. These fistulas cause discomfort to patients and result in emotional, social, and even physical suffering. The aim of the present study was to explore the experiences of women with rectovaginal fistula in Kamyaran city, in Kurdestan province, west of Iran. Methods: In a phenomenological study, 16 patients, healthcare personnel and patients' families were investigated. Purposive sampling was performed and Study participants were interviewed in-depth semi-structured interviews. All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim (word by word) and analyzed by Colaizzi's method. In order to determine the validity of the study, Lincoln and Guba’s criteria, which include credibility, dependability, transferability, and confirmability, were considered. Results: Five general themes and ten sub-themes emerged after investigating interviews. Themes include religious harassment the sub-theme of being defiled), fail (subthemes of loss and negative attitudes, disrupted sex (the subtheme of sexual dissatisfaction), consequence (three subthemes of sleep disturbance, mental crisis, and isolation), and ultimately panic (three subthemes of humiliation, secrecy, and fear). Conclusion: The rectovaginal fistula is a complex and multifaceted problem with social, individual, familial, religious, and ethnic-environmental dimensions, so there is no simple solution to interact with this problem and there is a need to find a solution, considering the dimensions of the problem and plan for help these patients cope with their disease, and take steps to fully treat it.


Author(s):  
Zenobia Chan ◽  
Yuen-ling Fung ◽  
Wai-tong Chien

Our aim with this article is to demonstrate how the researchers use bracketing as a method of demonstrating the validity after initiating a phenomenological study. Although bracketing is a method of demonstrating the validity of the da ta collection and analysis process in most phenomenological studies, how the researchers use them in practice is rarely demonstrated explicitly. We collected data through our experiences in preparing a phenomenological research study. We suggest that the concept of bracketing should be adopted upon initiating the research proposal and not merely in the data collection and analysis process. We propose four strategies for doing bracketing that are guided by the thinking activity of reflexivity: mentality assessment and preparation before deciding the research paradigm, deciding the scope of the literature review according to the prevailing gate - keeping policy, planning for data collection using semi - structured interviews guided by open - ended questions, and planning for data analysis using Colaizzi’s method. Our proposition highlights that thorough preparation for doing bracketing is essential before entering the data collection and analysis process in phenomenology, because they are sequentially related.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane Marnel Pogoy ◽  
Jezyl Cempron Cutamora

Background: Limited studies focus on the effects of the pandemic on the nurses' overall risks and wellbeing. At present, no single study has been published on Filipino nurses’ experiences outside the country during the COVID-19 pandemic.Objective: This descriptive phenomenological study explored the Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) nurses’ experiences working in COVID Intensive Care Units.Methods: The study was conducted in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where there is a high number of COVID cases. This study utilized a qualitative Husserlian phenomenological approach to describe and explore the lived experiences of the OFW nurses’ caring for COVID-19 critically ill patients. The research key interview informants were eight ICU nurses who cared for COVID 19 patients in Dubai hospitals. Data saturation was reached. Data collection was done in 2020, and Collaizi’s method of data analysis was utilized.Results: A total of 135 significant statements were extracted from the interview transcripts. There were 36 formulated meanings generated, and four themes emerged from this study. The first theme is Challenges During the Pandemic with the following subthemes: Away from Home, Caring for the VOID-19 Patients, and Fear of the Unknown. The second theme is Patient Care during COVID-19 with the following subthemes: COVID ICU Patient Care and The Nursing Profession. Third, Adapting to Change with the subthemes: Living the New Normal and Protecting One’s Self from COVID. Lastly, Resilience Amidst the Pandemic with the following subthemes:  Being with Others and Seeing Oneself.Conclusion: Despite the existing challenges like cultural differences and homesickness faced by these OFW nurses and the new challenges they are faced with the pandemic today, they were still able to continue living and do what is expected of them. From the hassle of wearing the PPEs, shortage of PPE, and being transferred from one unit in the hospital to another, the OFW nurses were able to adapt to these changes. The nurses already got used to the routine, but the fear of getting infected by the virus is still there.


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