The lived experience: Nurses' experience of caring for patients with a traumatic spinal cord injury

Exploring the lived experience of Arab male patients on intermittent catheterization after spinal cord injury: A phenomenological study

BACKGROUND

Intermittent catheterization (IC) has been identified as one of the critical techniques used by spinal cord injury (SCI) patients to cope with emptying the bladder, despite several problems impeding this procedure.

AIM

The study aimed accordingly to explore the lived experience of Arab male patients on IC after their SCI.

DESIGN

This study was carried out by using a descriptive qualitative approach with a phenomenological analysis of data.

METHODS

A qualitative study was carried out on 10 Arab male patients from the Rehabilitation Hospital at King Fahad Medical City (KFMC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia who were utilizing intermittent catheters following SCI. The interviews were analysed using Husserl's phenomenology and the Colaizzi method of data analysis.

RESULTS

Two major themes and six sub-themes were identified from exploring the patients experience. These themes are as follows: Theme 1: The Way to IC; with two sub-themes: (i) 'service provided and acceptance' and (ii) 'educational experience'; Theme 2: Lifestyle and self-adaptation; with four sub-themes: (i) 'Flexibility and freedom', (ii) 'Physical access to the community', (iii) 'Traveling' and (iv) 'Work and Social life balance'.

CONCLUSION

It is evident that using an intermittent catheter among patients with SCI influenced almost all aspects of the participant's life, including their social lives and body image appearance.

Thriving after pediatric spinal cord injury: two life stories

INTRODUCTION

The primary objective of this qualitative study was to explore the lived experience of spinal cord injury (SCI) as described by life story interviews with two adults who sustained SCI as children.

CASE PRESENTATION

Data were collected by conducting 15 life story interviews with two individuals with SCI. Atkinson's Life Story Interview approach along with open-ended questions was utilized to capture the narrative data. Polkinghorne's narrative analysis of eventful data approach was used to configure the data elements into a story with the purpose of understanding the lived experience of SCI of these two individuals. Four themes relevant to the experience of living with a chronic condition emerged: adjustment to life with SCI, hardiness, interdependence, and post-traumatic growth.

DISCUSSION

This study illustrated how the two participants' personal development and life trajectories were deeply shaped by pediatric-onset SCI. The life story interview process proved to be an effective approach to understanding the lived experience of SCI as told by two adults with pediatric-onset SCI. While the two participants represented unique contexts, their stories conveyed several cohesive, transcendent themes relevant to the experience of living with a chronic condition. Future narrative inquiry research in individuals with pediatric-onset SCI is necessary to build a representation of this population's lived experiences.