A Grounded Theory Approach to the Comfort Experience of Hospitalized Patients

입원대상자의 안위경험에 대한 근거이론적 접근

This study is based on grounded theory methodology by Strauss & Corbin(1998). Ten hospitalized subjects were interviewed for data collection. In the process of data analysis, 'acceptance' is found to be the causal condition, while 'health professionals' skillfulness', 'ward environment', 'history of hospitalization', and 'general conditions' were identified as context, 'felling of relief' as the core phenomenon, 'self-efficacy', 'support of others', and 'life style' as the intermediate situation, 'passive reaction', 'alternative reaction' and 'active reaction' as the strategy and 'stabilization', 'satisfaction', 'hope' and 'carrying out' as consequences. 'Feeling of relief' is found to go through the three stages of recognition-generation-maintenance after the five different patterns. 1) In case the health professionals are skillful, the ward environment is favorable, the general conditions of the patients improved and as a result the feeling of relief is strong, during the first hospitalization, the self-efficacy of the subjects tends to be strong. They proceed toward the goal set for themselves with a renewed hope and active or alternative reaction toward the feeling of relief. 2) The subjects tend to proceed toward the goal set for themselves with a renewed hope and active and alternative reaction toward the feeling of relief in case health professionals are skillful, the ward environment is favorable the general conditions of the subjects improved, self-efficacy is strong, and lifestyle is autonomous, during the second hospitalization even though support of others is merely superficial. 3) The subjects tend to stabilize, and satisfy themselves with the given situation with passive and alternative reaction to the feeling of relief in case health professionals are skillful and the ward environment is favorable but the general conditions worsened and accordingly the feeling of relief, is weak and life style is dependent during the second hospitalization although the subjects' self-efficacy is strong and support of others is specific. 4) The subjects tend to stabilize and satisfy themselves with the given situation with passive and alternative reaction to the feeling of relief in case health professionals are unskillful the ward environment is unfavorable, the general conditions improved, support of others is specific but life style is dependent and self-efficacy is weak during the first hospitalization. 5) The subjects tend to stabilize and satisfy themselves with the given situation in case health professionals are unskillful the ward environment is unfavorable but the general conditions improved support of others is specific and as a result self-efficacy is strong but life style is dependent.