The experience of living with chronic illness for the haemodialysis patient: An interpretative phenomenological analysis

This study examines experiences of living with chronic illness for haemodialysis patients. In order to Understand these experiences the paper takes an existential-phenomenological approach. Interviews of seven participants (five males, two females) were collected in a haemodialysis clinic. Based upo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Health sociology review 2014-12, Vol.23 (3), p.232-241
Main Authors: Lindsay, Heather, MacGregor, Casimir, Fry, Margaret
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alienation
Chronic diseases
Chronic Illness
Chronic illnesses
Disease
Embodiment
Existential phenomenology
Females
Gender
haemodialysis
Hemodialysis
Hospitals
Illness
Interviews
Locus of Control
Medical history taking
narrative
Nurses
Patients
Peritoneal dialysis
Phenomenology
Psychology
sociology
Treatment
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Summary:This study examines experiences of living with chronic illness for haemodialysis patients. In order to Understand these experiences the paper takes an existential-phenomenological approach. Interviews of seven participants (five males, two females) were collected in a haemodialysis clinic. Based upon the participants experiences three core themes emerged: (1) the challenges of living with chronic renal failure; (2) body changes and embodiment; (3) their illness experience and social relationships. The findings suggest that the illness experience of chronic renal failure is an on-going struggle to attain a sense of control. We suggest that where a sense of control is limited this can create a sense of powerlessness. Further, the illness experience was not solely restricted to the individual, but also affected wider social relationships. It is only through taking into account the context of patients experience of illness that clinicians/nurses can meaningfully draw on all aspects of evidence to reach integrated clinical judgement.
ISSN:1446-1242
1839-3551
DOI:10.1080/14461242.2014.11081976