Patients' Lived Experience in Rehabilitating from Stroke

뇌졸중 환자의 재활 경험

Stroke is known as a detrimental disease that leaves serious sequelae. The stroke patients suffer from limitations of physical and social activities. The patients try to adapt themselves to the limitations in order to achieve rehabilitation. This study was performed to clarify the lived experience of rehabilitation from the stroke patients. In collecting data for this study, in-depth personal interviews were made by a researcher from February to April in 2001 at rehabilitation clinics and physical therapy centers locate in Iksan city. The methodological approach was van Manen's hermeneutic phenomenological methodology in order to understand the meaning and nature of stroke patients' experiences in rehabilitating their physical limitations. Collected data were analyzed with phenomenological way of study that was develope by van Manen. The 8 patients who agreed to participate in this research were inter viewed by researcher under the private and comfortable environment. Personal interviews were done three or five times per each patients and each interview took 70 to 90 minutes. The statements were analyzed and finally revealed three essential themes : Theme 1 - Desperateness to achieve freedom again Theme 2 - Seizing hope of recovering Theme 3 - Seeking support from family members, relatives and friends Based on these themes, stroke patients' rehabilitation experience are described as following. The stroke patients have strong desire to achieve freedom again in order to escape from social isolation. The stroke patients want to go back to the state of their previous health state. The stroke patients strongly try to do anything for their recovering and also to have positive thinking. In the other hand, they feel pity for themselves through desperation, fear, sorrow, and self-pity. The stroke patients have dissatisfaction about neighbors' rumor and attitude toward themselves. The stroke patients have experiences to rely on neighbors' support seeking a warm word of consolation. This research showed us that van Manen's hermeneutic phenomenological methodology leads us to understand stroke patients' rehabilitation process more comprehensibly. Based on this research, it is suggested that further studies provide a foundation for the development of a rehabilitation theory for Korean stroke patients.