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Background and Aim: The aim of the present article is to describe meaning-oriented thematic analysis grounded in reflective lifeworld research and to illustrate how the thematic analysis can be integrated in the research process. The article is a methodological paper, including ontological and epistemological assumptions for lifeworld theory. Research based on lifeworld theory is directed towards lived experiences and meanings in everyday life. Research that is founded on the epistemology of the lifeworld can present existential issues important for caring and qualitative research can in particular contribute to existential knowledge needed to understand the world of the patient., Design: Theoretical paper., Results: Starting with a phenomenon of relevance for caring science, the article argues for lifeworld interviews as a data collection method that can contribute to depth and meaning, and then presents a description of how structures of meaning can be outlined through a meaning-oriented thematic analysis. The research of lived experiences in caring science demands an approach that includes a reflective attitude during the methodological considerations. This article highlights the importance of ontological and epistemological considerations when conducting a meaning-oriented thematic analysis., Conclusion: The article places meaning-oriented thematic analysis in a wider research process, considering all aspects from collection of data to the creation of meaning-oriented themes., (© 2024 The Author(s). Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Nordic College of Caring Science.)

Background: This study aims to investigate the lived experience of well-being among older patients and their relatives in the transition from hospital to home after early discharge. Research has shown that the transition brings severe challenges to their everyday lives. However, to date, there has been a lack of research focusing on the lived experiences of well-being during this process., Methods: The data collection and analysis followed the phenomenological approach of Reflective Lifeworld Research. Ten in-depth interviews with older patients and their relatives were conducted in Austria up to 2-5 days after hospital discharge., Results: The essential meaning of the phenomenon of well-being in the transition from hospital to home is marked by security and confidence to face the challenges following the discharge. Four constituents emerged: being calm and in alignment with the homecoming, being in familiar surroundings at home-a sense of belonging, striving towards independence-continuity of life and having faith in the future., Conclusion: Our findings point to the importance of recognizing the vulnerability associated with the transition from hospital to home, as it impacts the existential aspects of space and time. Facilitating a sense of continuity and belonging can foster well-being during this critical period.

Purpose: Anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) are used for their aesthetic and performance-enhancing effects and are associated with physical and psychological side effects. Behavioural changes/side effects as mood swings, aggressiveness, depression, potency problems, anxiety, and emotional coldness have been reported by next of kin to people using AAS., Methods: This phenomenological study is based on the reflective lifeworld research approach. Interviews were conducted with twelve next of kin about their experiences of living close to persons using AAS., Results: Next of kin to persons using AAS are particularly vulnerable because they experience little opportunity to influence their situation. Their given and safe context is lost, and their lives are circumscribed by feelings of insecurity, fear, powerlessness, and grief. Feelings of loneliness develop when their problems are not noticed by others and support is lacking from family and society., Conclusions: Our research adds important knowledge on how the use of AAS affects next of kin. Understanding is required to approach the lifeworld of next of kin with flexibility and empathy in their difficulties and vulnerability. Healthcare professionals and other concerned professions need to be aware of next of kin existential needs to be able to meet and support them in their life situation.

Having a job is an important component of recovery from mental illness and a source of economic, social, and health benefits. Most people experiencing severe mental illness (SMI) want to work but are excluded from employment opportunities. Employment specialists (ESs) working in individual placement and support (IPS) teams help persons struggling with SMI obtain competitive employment. This study is a qualitative phenomenological study of 10 IPS participants in the Norwegian context, serving to develop a deeper understanding of the IPS phenomenon as it is experienced in the everyday life of IPS participants. The study was designed as a peer research project including four members of a competence group with experience in IPS and SMI. The results, analyzed using the reflective lifeworld research approach, revealed four constituents: "Having a safety net along the way toward employment," "Feeling more like a person, not just a patient," "Brighter future," and "Going above and beyond employment support." IPS functions as an anchor in participants' journey toward employment. Strong and meaningful relationships with an ES seem crucial for IPS participants to gain the strength and confidence essential to engage in the job search. IPS participants experience various challenges in everyday life, resulting in ESs exceeding their vocational role to cover the unmet needs that health services seem unable to fully address. Closer coordination between vocational and health services, as well as a deeper focus on everyday life issues, will positively affect IPS participants' vocational outcomes and quality of life., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Background: Parenteral nutrition (PN) provides the body with essential nourishment through intravenous infusion. Home parenteral nutrition (HPN) has a significant impact on the lives of its users; however, very few studies explore the phenomenon of homecare nurse provided assistance for the management and administration of HPN., Method: The phenomenological approach, Reflective Lifeworld Research, was utilised. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with five patients with intestinal failure. The analysis was performed according to the instructions of Reflective Lifeworld Research., Results: Four constituents were identified: (1) balanced nursing experience, (2) correct handling of procedures, (3) reversed expert roles and (4) the homecare nurse as a lifeline. Control was found to be the essence of the phenomenon, multi-faceted and characterised by the participants' ambivalent feelings., Conclusion: The participants were ambivalent about receiving assistance from the homecare nurses. HPN is a complex treatment in which demands are placed on the homecare nurses' competencies to deliver a high quality of care. The patients live with a constant fear of complications and hospitalisations. The participants felt compelled to perform control, monitoring the homecare nurses' work, to ensure that errors did not occur. As more assistance was received from homecare nurses, the participants experienced a loss of control. However, the assistance did also give a sense of security, whereby the homecare nurse was perceived as a lifeline.From a sociological perspective, the need for control can be a result of the constant development of society, where greater demands were placed on citizens' commitment and responsibility for their own treatment, prompting a larger need for individual control., Competing Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (© The Author(s) 2024.)

Introduction: Existential loneliness (EL) is an unavoidable, deeper sense of loneliness. EL has been described as disconnection from life and the universe, experienced even in the presence of family and friends. Meaninglessness, loss of health and significant others seem to trigger older persons EL. Older Arabic-speaking women are a large migrant group in Sweden and there is a lack in knowledge about their experience of EL. Therefore, this study aimed to describe the phenomenon of EL as experienced by older Arabic-speaking female migrants., Methods: This study was based on a phenomenological approach known as reflective lifeworld research (RLR). Ten older migrated Arabic-speaking women were included in the study. Lifeworld interviews were conducted to collect data. The data were analysed in accordance with the phenomenological RLR principles of openness, flexibility and bridling., Results: This study shows that EL is experienced when there is a lack of attachment to place and people. EL is experienced more distinctively in the beginning of the migration process. It was difficult sharing feelings of EL with anyone. Feelings of meaninglessness occurred when entering a new lifeworld and triggered EL. EL was however attenuated when being able to practise their religion., Conclusion: Lack of attachment to place and people as well as feelings of meaninglessness brought existential loneliness to the fore for the older Arabic-speaking female migrants. There was a collision of lifeworlds not at least by the fact moving as a Muslim woman to one of the most secular countries in the world. Practising their religion attenuated their EL. To promote better health for this group of women, it is of importance to be aware of EL and its mode of expression., Implications for Practice: It is crucial to let the voice of older Arabic-speaking female migrants be heard and to be aware of their experience of EL and its mode of expression in order to promote better health. Further, educational training for nursing professionals and nursing students needs to be provided to develop skills how to be aware of and address EL., (© 2024 The Author(s). International Journal of Older People Nursing published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: This paper describes registered nurses' lived experiences of caring relationships in the context of homecare provision for older adults living in Denmark. With the growing ageing population throughout Europe, more older adults will require complex care solutions within already overburdened care systems. This development places demands on the competencies and organisation of homecare nurses, as they become key players in healthcare systems. Fostering caring relationships in homecare is a rewarding and valuable process that enhances the holistic and humanising aspects of caring for older adults. For a caring relationship to be truly caring, we must understand not only the subjective experience of such a relationship but also how it is experienced in relation to and shared with others., Aim: This study aimed to describe the essential meaning of the phenomenon of caring relationships in homecare for older adults based on the lived experiences of homecare nurses., Approach and Methods: Registered nurses working in homecare for older adults were interviewed, and a phenomenological analysis was conducted according to the methodological principles of the reflective lifeworld research approach., Findings: The essential meaning of the phenomenon is described as creating an existential and embodied space in which each patient's world is the foundation of caring. The constituents are as follows: caring for the whole person, a sense of 'at-homeness' through trusting 'the other', experiencing continuity as caring and prioritising the time to care., Conclusion: Caring competence in homecare for older adults relies on a nurse's ability to intertwine physical and existential care needs and articulate them in their daily work. A focus on the phenomenon of caring relationships brings value to and adds an extra layer to the discussion on caring competence., (© 2023 The Authors. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Nordic College of Caring Science.)

Purpose: To address the consequences of living with supraventricular tachycardia and to improve the quality of treatment, there is a need to highlight patient experiences of treatment with catheter ablation. Therefore, the aim was to describe the phenomenon of catheter ablation, as it is experienced by patients being treated awake., Methods: A descriptive design was applied based on a reflective lifeworld research founded on phenomenological epistemology. Interviews were conducted between December 2021 and Mars 2022 with seven women and five men, three to twelve months after they underwent catheter ablation., Results: Patients undergoing catheter ablation while awake during treatment, which includes experiences of relying on others expertise, being actively passive, and striving to be cured. It entails experiences of having a foreign object moving in one's body and heart and can be endured through strategies of mainly shifted one's mental focus., Conclusions: The effort of undergoing a catheter ablation procedure is worthwhile as the confirmation of a physical curable condition that opens a future with possibilities instead of the obstacle in daily life that tachycardia entails. For the patients, an informative and caring conversation was needed that would have provided the support they lacked before and during the ablation.

The aim of this study was to describe the phenomenon of "fleeing the encounter when facing resistance" as experienced by carers working in forensic inpatient care. Qualitative analysis, namely reflective lifeworld research, was used to analyze data from open-ended questions with nine carers from a Swedish regional forensic clinic. The data revealed three meaning constituents that describe the phenomenon: shielding oneself from coming to harm or harming the other, finding one's emotional balance or being exposed, and offering the patient emotional space and finding patience. The carers described their approaches in the encounters with the patients as alternating between primitive instincts and expectant empathy in order to gain control and deal with the interaction for their own part, for that of the patient, and for that of their colleagues. The phenomenon of fleeing the encounter when facing resistance was intertwined with carers' self-perception as professional carers. Negative encounters with patients evoked feelings of shame and self-blame. A carer is a key person tasked with shaping the care relationship, which requires an attitude on the part of the carer that recognizes not only the patient's lifeworld but also their own.

Background: Care decisions for older patients in acute situations are challenging to make, and there is limited knowledge of support in home healthcare settings, where older patients receive ongoing health care from, for example, community health nurses. Therefore, this study aimed to describe the support for all involved in acute situations when a community health nurse was called, as experienced by older patients, their significant others and healthcare professionals involved., Methods: The study was conducted using a phenomenological reflective lifeworld research approach, in which meanings of the study phenomenon were analyzed. The included participants were those who had been involved in acute situations. Twelve participants from four acute situations were interviewed. The participant included three older patients, one significant other, four community health nurses, one registered nurse student, one specialist in general practice, and two ambulance personnel, with one being a registered nurse and the other a specialist ambulance nurse., Results: Support in decision-making was received from the knowledge of temporality, which provided a comprehensive understanding based on past and present knowledge of the older patient. The knowledge of temporality allowed for the early detection of new symptoms and facilitated care decisions tailored to the older patient. There was a dependency on pre-existing mutual interpersonal support, and confidence developed through relational, caring, and medical competence., Conclusions: The advantages of temporality, confidence and mutual interpersonal support in acute situations highlight the importance of enhancing relational continuity in home healthcare settings and establishing a structural collaboration among community health nurses, specialists in general practice, and ambulance personnel. This collaboration aims to provide support for making decisions regarding tailored care., (© 2023. BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature.)

Aim: To describe mothers' and fathers' experiences with public health nursing and child and family health centre services in the postnatal period, both as a couple and as individuals., Method: A phenomenological reflective lifeworld research approach with a descriptive design was chosen. A purposive sample of 10 mothers and 10 fathers were interviewed twice, 1-2 and 6-8 weeks postpartum, using joint and individual interviews. By focusing on being open and flexible, the data were analyzed to elucidate a meaningful structure of the phenomenon., Results: The findings revealed that parents' experiences with public health nurse (PHN) and Child and Family Health Centre (CFHC) services in the postnatal period are characterised by a longing to be seen and confirmed both as unique individuals and as a family by the PHN. Although an increased need for both lay and professional care is prominent during the postnatal period, the parents drew a varied picture of their experiences demonstrating that the CFHC services are focussing almost exclusively on mother and child., Conclusion: A public health nurse can contribute to strengthen parenthood and promote the family's health when the focus is on the new baby. Being cared for while learning to care for the baby is pivotal in a phase that involves both joy and vulnerability. This study adds knowledge concerning the importance of both parents being seen and confirmed by the PHN as unique individuals and a family unit in the postnatal period., (© 2022 The Authors. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Nordic College of Caring Science.)

We offer a theoretical and empirical exploration of parental or guardian hope through an enactive, ecological, and reflective lifeworld research framework. We examine hoping as a practice, or know-how, by exploring the shape of interviewees' lives as they prepare for lives to come. We pursue hoping as a necessarily shared practice-a social agency-rather than an individual emotion. One main argument is that hoping operates as a kind of languaging. An enactive-ecological approach shifts scholarly conversations around hope, in part by including voices of non-scholars and considering lifeworld factors like class privilege. We aim to identify particular impediments to or facilitators of hope, which may be thought of as classes of restrictive and generative thought-shapers, respectively. Results from our qualitative study indicate that uncertainty is deeply salient to hoping, not only because hope as a concept entails epistemic limits, but more vitally because not knowing, when done skillfully and when supported through education and some degree of socio-economic security, leaves room for others to reframe utterances, and so for the family or community to resist linguistic enclosure., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Cuffari, Fourlas and Whatley.)

What enables well-being when experiencing existential concerns as a young adult is an under-explored area of research. In order to address young adults' existential concerns and provide caring support that builds their resilience to meet life challenges, the purpose of the study is to describe the meaning of enabling well-being as experienced by young adults living with existential concerns. This phenomenological study is based on a reflective lifeworld research. Seventeen young adults, aged 17-27 years, were interviewed. The results is presented in an essential meaning and further explored with its variations and individual nuances of the phenomenon; enabling well-being. The essential meaning of enabling well-being, when experiencing existential concerns as a young adult, means finding a place to rest. Finding a place to rest means finding both movement and stillness in life to reflect upon one's life story in order to understand oneself. The results also show that young adults enable their own well-being in many ways when experiencing existential concerns. When their existential concerns feel overwhelming, they need support from healthcare professionals. When young adults seek professional support, the professionals must be open and focus on the young adults' life story to enable well-being.

Purpose: The aim of the study was to describe the loss of a family member by suicide, based on the lived experience of suicide survivors., Methods: A phenomenology study with a Reflective Lifeworld Research approach was conducted, consisting of sixteen interviews with eight suicide survivors., Results: The essence of losing a family member by suicide encompasses experiences of involuntary and existential loneliness, life suffering, and additional burdens in a life that is radically transformed, comprising prolonged and energy-intensive attempts to understand. Life for the family member encompasses a constant fear of being judged and an ambiguous silence, where this silence can both lead to involuntary loneliness and be a source of support and fellowship. Support mechanisms inside the family fall apart, and it becomes obvious that the survivors' experiences affect others. The loss also implies an active endeavour to maintain the memory of the deceased., Conclusions: Based on these results, it is important for professionals to accept the survivors as suffering human beings early-from the point of the notification of death-and consider them as patients in need of compassionate care. Such support might reduce life suffering, counteract stigma and involuntary loneliness, and work simultaneously as suicide prevention.

Childhood functional constipation (FC) is a worldwide problem with treatment regiments affecting everyday life., Aim: To explore parents´ experiences of living with a child with FC and its impact on everyday family life., Method: A qualitative phenomenological interview study using a reflective lifeworld research approach. Interviews with 15 parents of otherwise healthy children aged 1-14 years affected by FC., Findings: Shame is the driving force making parents put everyday life on hold. The quest for control, self-imposed loneliness, guilt, inadequacy, and frustrating battles become essential parts of everyday life to protect it from FC-related shame., Conclusion: FC has as great an impact on everyday life as any childhood illness. Every part of family life is affected by FC. Continuously family support and guidance are needed., Practice Implications: Healthcare professionals need to take FC more seriously, listen to the parents and try to understand their experiences of everyday life to enable custom made care plans with the family-unit in focus. Care with clinical sensitivity might help parents deal with the attendant shame and stigmatization that stem from illness beliefs about FC., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Health ministries in Europe are investing increasingly in innovative digital technologies. Older adults, who have not grown up with digital innovation, are expected to keep up with technological shifts as much as other age groups. This is ethically challenging, as it may threaten a sense of dignity and well-being in older adults., Research Objective: To clarify the phenomenon of sense of dignity experienced in older adults, concerning how their expectations and needs are met within the context of digitally led healthcare in Norway., Research Design: A Reflective Lifeworld Research design was chosen, and purposive, in-depth interviews were conducted., Participants and Research Context: The participants were 13 adults 75 years and older from Northern Norway, living at home and not receiving consistent assistance., Ethical Considerations: Followed the principles of the Helsinki Declaration. This study was approved by the Social Science Data Services in Norway (project number 916119). Interviews were conducted carefully within a safe environment chosen by the participants., Findings: Older adults experience that using new digital systems in healthcare makes them become dependent with experiences of helplessness. They feel an increased sense of dependency on other people, and that recognition can assail their experience of personal dignity. Older adults not only expect digitally led healthcare to give them a feeling of safety but also experience feeling insecure concerning privacy and loss of possibilities for dialogue with healthcare providers. They are met by demands from society, which they often struggle to achieve., Conclusion: The phenomenon of sense of dignity experienced in older adults, concerning how their expectations and needs are met within digitally led healthcare, indicates a sense of feeling lost in the digital world. Further, innovative healthcare lacks focus on ethical performance. This impacts their perception of dignity, as loss of dignity is noticed especially in its rupture.

Introduction: Family-focused nursing has gained ground worldwide, and a range of healthcare systems are now practicing family-focused nursing, which has been shown to increase the quality of care. Even so, a lack of research remains into family-focused nursing for various groups of patients in clinical practice., Objectives: The purpose of this study was to explore how family members (FMs) of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) experienced a family-focused nursing intervention in a clinical outpatient setting., Methods: This was a qualitative phenomenological interview study employing Reflective Lifeworld Research (RLR) to explore humans' lived experiences. The data reported herein were derived from semi-structured interviews with seven FMs of patients with AF who participated in a clinical trial which tested a family-focused intervention in a Cardiology outpatient clinic treating patients with AF. The transcribed interviews were analyzed in four phases which is an iterative process as proposed by Dahlberg and Dahlberg., Findings: The essence of the phenomenon was experiencing less panic and finding peace, which emerged from the following four patterns. (1) The FMs' post-AF experience, (2) Enhanced understanding and knowledge of AF, (3) Personal interaction with a nurse specialist and (4) AF becomes manageable. A space facilitating reflection upon the disease and daily life with the disease was established through group sessions and family conversations., Conclusion: A family-focused nursing intervention facilitated by specialized nurses with extensive communication skills filled a knowledge gap related to AF thereby reducing panic and increasing peace among FMs. Furthermore, the intervention facilitated family awareness of their resources to bring about change, regain balance, and enhance well-being in their everyday lives and initiated a healing process in the families. Future interventions for patients with AF should consider FMs as well as patients as an entity of care., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (© The Author(s) 2022.)

Purpose: This study describes the lived experiences of nurse-led consultations in pediatric emergency departments from the perspective of pediatric nurses., Design and Methods: A descriptive qualitative study with a reflective lifeworld research approach was used to explore nurses' experiences of nurse-led consultations. The study was conducted through meaning-oriented individual interviews with ten pediatric nurses., Results: The results are grouped into four themes: (a) embracing the encounter and being touched by it; (b) having time to be present and committed; (c) having the ability and trusting in one's intuition; and (d) negotiating between families' wishes and the organization's guidelines., Conclusions: Our study shows that nurse-led consultations conducted in separate nurse-led reception areas promote a positive experience of the consultations from the perspective of pediatric nurses. In a nurse-led consultation, a nurse's confidence in their ability to provide care is connected to time, broad skills and knowledge, and a supportive organization., Practice Implications: As the rising global population increases the demand for healthcare services, pediatric emergency departments must streamline their services to provide patient-safe, high-quality health care. Nurse-led consultations are an effective means of meeting these growing demands. This study contributes to an understanding of pediatric nurses' experiences at both the individual level and a more structured level, namely that families' wishes and an organization's guidelines do not always coincide., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose : The aim was to describe patients' lived experience of warmth and coldness in connection with surgery. Methods : A reflective lifeworld research (RLR) approach founded on phenomenology and the methodological principles of openness, flexibility, and bridling were used. The data consisted of 16 in-depth interviews with patients from four hospitals in Sweden. Results : Warmth and coldness in connection with surgery means an expectation to maintain one´s daily life temperature comfort. When patients' needs of temperature comfort is fulfilled it give a sense of well-being and calmness. Despite the body is covered there are feelings of vulnerability. When patients have the ability to change their own temperature comfort, they feel independent. Conclusion : The individual feeling of temperature comfort could be affected or changed to discomfort during the perioperative context, and an intervention is required to avoid suffering due to the care. An ability to independently influence one´s own temperature comfort can strengthen the patient, whereas the opposite entails suffering in silence. The phenomenon is also related to feelings of confidence about receiving the best care as well as being exposed and vulnerable. When the patient´s need of comfortable temperature is met then feelings of security and sense of well-being emerged.

The birthing room is a major workplace for midwives but how it influences them in practice is not enough investigated. Purpose : This study aimed to explore midwives´ experiences of how the birthing room affects them in their work to promote a normal physiological birth. Methods : A phenomenological reflective lifeworld research approach was used and included individual interviews with 15 midwives working at four different hospitals in western Sweden, and of which two also assisted at homebirths. The analysis focused on the meanings of the study phenomenon. Results : A birthing room can by its design either support a normal physiological birth or support a risk approach to childbirth. Four opposing constituents complete the essential meaning of the birthing rooms, and to which the midwives need to relate in their roles as guardians for normal birth: i) a private or a public room; ii) a home-like or hospital-like room; iii) a room promoting activity or passivity; iv) a room promoting the midwife´s presence or absence. Conclusions : The birthing room mirrors a pathogenic-oriented care approach. A presupposition for the work to keep the birth bubble intact is to protect the mother from disturbing elements both inside and outside the room.

Purpose : Anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) are used by men for their aesthetic and performance-enhancing effects and are associated with risk for side effects. Our research aims to deepen knowledge and understanding of men´s experiences of using AAS. Method : This phenomenological study is based on the reflective lifeworld research approach. Lifeworld interviews were conducted with twelve men about their experiences of using AAS. Results : By using AAS, men strive towards a muscular, strong and athletic ideal. Self-imposed demands, self-discipline and performance accelerate male physical development. The perfect male body ideal thus attained is fragile from both an existential and a biological perspective. The perfect self-image can easily be shattered by adversity. A man's very existence may be jeopardized if the use of AAS is revealed to others or if the body is let down by illness. Conclusions : Men´s use of AAS is a complex phenomenon. It partly concerns a traditional view of masculinity that is reflected in the community. It requires both broad and deep knowledge and understanding to be able to meet men using AAS in their problems and vulnerability; a meeting that is hampered by their low trust in healthcare, and by the fact that AAS are illegal.

Purpose: This study aimed to describe extended collaboration in situations when an ambulance was called, as experienced by older patients, a significant other, and ambulance- and primary healthcare (PHC) centre personnel., Methods: The study used a phenomenological reflective lifeworld research (RLR) approach. Participants included in three specific situations with extended collaboration were interviewed: three older patients, one significant other, three ambulance personnel and four personnel at the PHC centre. The transcribed interviews were analysed for meanings of the phenomenon., Results: The extended collaboration means that decisions were supported through dialogue by bridging knowledge spaces between person, within-team and across-team levels. Through dialogue experience and knowledge were shared and certainty in decisions was increased. The extended collaboration was built on trust, responsibility taken, shared and entrusted, and the common goal of adapted care for the unique patient. A need for further improvement and transparency was elucidated., Conclusions: The difficulty of making care decisions stresses the importance of available extended collaboration based on the dialogue between patients, significant others, and ambulance- and PHC centre personnel to increase certainty in decisions. Collaboration further requires respectful encounters, trust, responsibility and a common goal of adapting the care for the unique patient.

Purpose : The aim of this study is to describe new fathers' expectations of and experiences with municipal postnatal healthcare services. Methods : A phenomenological reflective lifeworld research (RLR) approach has been used. Ten fathers were interviewed about their expectations of and experiences with municipal postnatal healthcare services, and the data were analysed to elucidate a meaning structure for the phenomenon. Results : The essential meaning of the phenomenon of fathers' expectations of and experiences with municipal postnatal health care described as going blindly into the women's world . The essential meaning is further explicated through its four constituents: not knowing what to ask for, feeling excluded, seeking safety for the family and longing for care. Conclusions : Entering the postnatal period with sparse knowledge about the child and family healthcare services available is difficult for the fathers who do not know what to ask for and what to expect. The fathers' feel excluded by the public health nurse, and the postnatal health care is seen as a mother-baby-public health nurse triad. The feeling of exclusion and inequality might be avoided if public health nurses focused both on mothers' and fathers' individual follow-up needs in the postnatal period and on seeing the newborn baby and the parents as a family unit.

Anabolic androgenic steroids are used by women to increase their muscle mass and because of their performance-enhancing effects. Despite permanent/high risk of side effects, knowledge is inadequate. Our aim has been to deepen understanding about women's use of anabolic androgenic steroids. This phenomenological study is based on the reflective lifeworld research (RLR) approach. Lifeworld interviews were conducted with 12 women, aged 21-56 years, about their experiences of using anabolic steroids. The results show that women experience a sense of pride when they successfully achieve their goals. This is the driving force, triggering tension between suffering and success. Our research adds important knowledge from a reflective lifeworld perspective and shows that women's use of anabolic androgenic steroids is a complex phenomenon. Understanding and knowledge are important in order to be able to meet and support women in their fears and difficulties., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Börjesson, Ekebergh, Dahl, Ekström, Lehtihet and Vicente.)

Rationale: Experiences of the innovative method Reflective STRENGTH-Giving Dialogue (STRENGTH), which is grounded in a lifeworld perspective and developed to improve quality of care, is described in this study. Innovative thinking in developing health and social care, which may include digital solutions, is required to ensure a meaningful and dignified life in old age., Aim: The aim of this study was to describe experiences of the intervention Reflective STRENGTH-Giving Dialogue from the perspective of older persons living with long-term health problems., Method: Individual qualitative interviews were conducted with 27 older persons who participated in the intervention. The older persons wrote notes from each dialogue in booklets, and the booklets became part of the study data, analysed with a Reflective Lifeworld Research approach., Results: STRENGTH is experienced as an opportunity to reflect upon life and identify small and large life projects. Dialogues that lead to change in thoughts and actions influence the older persons' well-being, sense of balance, joy and meaning in life. There is an experience of STRENGTH as a starting point and a push to move forward in an effort to experience joy and meaning in life when living with long-term health problems., Conclusions: STRENGTH has the potential to contribute to quality improvement in person-centred care and enhance meaning in life for older persons living with long-term health problems. However, the use of a digital tool in this particular context poses challenges that must be considered., (© 2020 The Authors. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Nordic College of Caring Science.)

Becoming a parent changes one's life, and existential questions arise. Time and being oscillate between joy and powerlessness, vulnerability, and self-confidence, between harmony and unpreparedness. Breastfeeding, one of the first skills new mothers try to master, can be joyful and painful. The aim of this study was to develop a deeper understanding of the phenomenon of initial breastfeeding complications as they are lived and experienced by mothers and how these mothers can be supported. Twelve mothers were interviewed, and a phenomenological lifeworld approach was used. Nourishing an infant and having initial breastfeeding complications can be understood by the essence and its constituents. Expectations are fulfilled, and expectations come to naught when complications are experienced such as wavering between powerlessness and joy and finding solutions through resistance. The results suggest that lifeworld-led caring may lead to deepened acknowledgment and the possibility for mothers to feel supported in their extreme situations.

Introduction : Ageing is often associated with multiple long-term health problems influencing older persons' well-being in daily living. It is not unusual that the point of interest in research is often on the management of the actual health problem instead of being holistic and person-centred. Purpose : To describe the phenomenon of living with long-term health problems that influence daily living, from the older persons' perspective. Methods : Qualitative individual interviews were conducted with 34 older persons living with long-term health problems. The data were analysed using a Reflected Lifeworld Research (RLR) approach, grounded in phenomenology. Results: Life with long-term health problems entails living in a diminishing world. It entails living in uncertainty, not being able to trust one's own ability. The freedom to make decisions of your own is deprived by relatives and health-care providers. Living with long-term health problems entails being dependent on support in daily life and a strive to maintain meaningfulness in daily living. Conclusions : The results address a need for extended individual and holistic guidance and support in living with long-term health problems to increase the older person's sense of well-being and meaning in life.

Purpose : The aim of the study was to describe how women with stress-related illness experience well-being in everyday life. Methods : The study was based on a reflective lifeworld research (RLR) approach and the methodological principles of openness, flexibility and bridling. Twelve women, aged 27-54 years, diagnosed with stress-related illness were included. Data were collected with lifeworld interviews based on photographs taken by the women relating to well-being in everyday life. The data were analysed for meaning. Results : Well-being emerged in situations where women could feel an unconditional beingness. This entails not having demands on oneself and includes some form of freedom from having to perform. The surroundings and supportive environments are important for this unconditional beingness to be present. In order to feel well-being in everyday life, the women need to balance their energy and find helpful tools that can achieve a balance in everyday life. Conclusions : Healthcare staff need to understand the importance of unconditional beingness in supportive environments for patients living with stress-related illness in order to support their health and well-being. It is also important to support patients in finding helpful tools that can aid them to achieve a balance in everyday life.

Introduction: Young men may struggle in life with challenges of various concerns about their identity and who they want to be in life. Many health issues arise from social norms and wider societal determinations and for today's young men, following such norms poses a risk of losing oneself. An essential part of health are connected to the existential dimensions in life and concerns who you are, and how well you know and understand yourself. However; little is known about what it means for young men to live a life with existential concerns., Purpose and Method: The purpose of this phenomenological study, based on reflective lifeworld research (RLR), is to describe young men's experiences of living with existential concerns for which they have sought support. Eight lifeworld interviews were conducted., Results: The results essentially show that young men living with existential concerns describe their situations as living close to a bottomless darkness. This is further described according to four constituents: enduring everyday life, striving for a solution, hearing an inner self-critical voice, and wearing a hard shell., Conclusion: We conclude that strengthening young men's health processes requires healthcare professionals to create an atmosphere where young men feel safe talking about existential concerns without feeling exposed and vulnerable.

Being pregnant, giving birth, and becoming a mother the first months after birth, is for women with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) a period of difficult challenges. In order to identify their need of support from healthcare, the aim of this study was to describe healthcare during pregnancy, labour, birth, and up to 12 weeks after birth as experienced by Swedish women with T1DM. We used a phenomenological reflective lifeworld research approach, and made 1-2 individual interviews with ten women in late pregnancy and/or 2-3 months after. Transcribed interviews were analysed through focusing on the meanings of the study phenomenon. The results revealed how the diabetes disease, as well as the risks and responsibility that comes with it, become more visible during the period in question, due to a constant monitoring, performed by the woman herself as well as by the healthcare professionals. The essential meaning of the phenomenon is a need to share the burden of risks and responsibilities with healthcare professionals. The complex situation that these women are in, both as experts on their illness and care and in need of care, requires a care that make women feel capable and responsible, but at the same time offers support and relieve them of their responsibility when needed.

Background: In a rural environment where distances and access to ambulance resources in people's immediate area are limited, other responders like firefighters dispatched to perform a first aid before ambulance arrives in areas where a longer response time exists; an assignment called 'While Waiting for the Ambulance' (WWFA). Knowledge is limited about the experience from a caller's perspective when a person has a life-threatening condition needing emergency help and both firefighters in a WWFA assignment and ambulance staff are involved., Aim: The aim of the study is to describe the emergency situation involving a WWFA assignment in a rural environment from the caller's perspective., Method: A descriptive design using qualitative methodology with a reflective lifeworld research (RLR) approach was used for this study, including in-depth interviews with eight callers., Results: An emergency situation involving WWFA assignment in a rural environment mean a sense of being lone and lonely with a vulnerability in while waiting to hand over responsibility for the affected person. Ambivalence in several dimensions arises with simultaneous and conflicting emotions. A tension between powerlessness and power of action where the throw between doubt and hope are abrupt with a simultaneous pendulum between being in a chaos and in a calm., Conclusion: A double ambivalence emerges between, on one hand feeling alone in the situation and having full control, on the other hand, with trust handing over the responsibility, thereby losing control. Contact with the emergency medical dispatcher becomes a saving lifeline to hold onto, and access to emergency help in the immediate area of WWFA is valuable and important. Trust and confidence are experienced when callers are met with empathy, regardless of personal acquaintance with arriving responders., (© 2019 The Authors. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Nordic College of Caring Science.)

Purpose: The aim of this study was to describe the phenomenon of undergoing colonoscopy as experienced by adolescents., Design: This study was a qualitative study in which data were collected and analyzed in accordance with the methodological principles of Reflective Lifeworld Research with a phenomenological approach., Methods: Face-to-face interviews were performed with 17 adolescents after undergoing the first colonoscopy., Results: The phenomenon of undergoing colonoscopy as experienced by adolescents can be described as a collision between emotions and a desire to obtain answers to questions about the examination, as well as concerns about its result and the meaning of undergoing colonoscopy. The essential meaning is additionally described through its constituents: a sense of vulnerability, an opportunity for symptom explanation, and sensibility regarding information., Conclusions: The results can be concluded in terms of the knowledge that for adolescents a colonoscopy means more than an examination. Although colonoscopy is not experienced as painful, it evokes different emotions that affect adolescents. Therefore, a psychological preparation, on an individual level, is required before the colonoscopy. Our results showed that adolescents need to understand the connection between their symptoms, their body, and the colonoscopy., (© 2020 The Authors. Journal for Specialists in Pediatric Nursing Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences, perceptions, and considerations of individuals who declined participation in a randomized clinical trial involving exercise rehabilitation after surgery for lung cancer. An interpretive phenomenological approach was applied comprising interviews with 15 individuals who did not wish to participate in the trial. The findings shed light on a discrepancy between their freedom to act and make decisions and the limitations of having to act in a certain way. The participants found themselves in a gray area between a healthy life and a good life, as influenced by societal norms and taking responsibility for one's own health and rehabilitation. When including patients in rehabilitation after lung cancer, having insight into the underlying narrative on values and the good life, priorities in daily life, social context and the norms embedded in people's self-understanding is crucial.

Background: When the ageing population increases, the burden and responsibility of close family members will likely increase. Those closely related who assume a great responsibility can be significantly affected in health, well-being and daily life., Aim: This study aims to describe the life situation when family caregivers are imposed responsibility for an older person with complex care needs in their own home., Methods: In this Swedish qualitative study, ten family caregivers were strategically selected in order to achieve variations in the life situation. A reflective lifeworld research design based on phenomenological philosophy was used throughout the data collection with the lifeworld interviews and the analytic process., Findings: In terms of extensive responsibility, the life situation is complex and involves emotions that are difficult to manage. In essence, a paradoxical life situation is described which is experienced as both voluntarily and nonchosen at the same time. The responsibility never rests. The essential meaning is further illustrated with three constituents: loss of freedom, contradictory feelings and affected relationships., Conclusion: A life situation with extensive responsibility for an older family member interferes with the whole life situation with an impact on health and relationships with other people. The findings are crucial for professional caregivers in order to capture the nature of family support in a way that enables a meaningful life for both the family caregiver and the older person being cared for. Knowledge of this will give professional caregivers an increased awareness of the life situation of family caregivers and provide a better understanding of the support they are longing for, and, in some countries, such as Sweden, also are entitled to by law., (© 2019 Nordic College of Caring Science.)

Purpose : The aim of this study is to describe young women's (16-25 years old) experiences of living with existential concerns for which they have sought support from healthcare professionals, teachers, family, or friends, among others. Methods : This phenomenological study is based on a reflective lifeworld research (RLR) approach. Nine young women were interviewed about their experience of living with existential concerns. Results : The results show the essential meaning of the phenomenon of "existential concerns" that can be described as living a life that is marked in a profound way by a feeling of being lost in an unknown terrain. To further understand the essential meaning, four constituents are described: the unpredictable body, longing for comprehension, playing a game, and longing to share one's vulnerability. Conclusions : Young women with existential concerns are vulnerable, as they are profoundly influenced by these concerns. They have to navigate through daily life while trying to fit in and to make their situation comprehensible. These young women have a longing to share their existential concerns with a trustworthy person, while at the same time they fear revealing their existential concerns and risking being rejected by others. A lifeworld-led, caring science approach, intertwined with the results of the present study, has the potential to direct caring practice.

Introduction: This paper describes first-line department healthcare professionals' experiences of conversations with young adults (16-25 years) who express existential concerns. Existential concerns encompass questions about the meaning of life and the choices people must make, and they are sometimes expressed during the period in which a child is becoming an adult. Sometimes the transition to adulthood can be difficult, and many young adults seek support from people in first-line departments, such as primary care providers, youth guidance centre personnel and student health service employees in high schools and universities. Conversations in which existential concerns are recognised may be important for preventing mental illness in the future., Aim: The study aimed to describe healthcare professionals' lived experiences of conversations with young adults who express existential concerns., Approach and Methods: This qualitative study utilises thematic meaning analysis. Interviews were conducted with healthcare professionals working in first-line departments, and data were analysed based on the principles of reflective lifeworld research. The study followed ethical codes of conduct and conformed to the ethical guidelines adopted by the Swedish Research Council., Findings: The results are presented in three themes of meaning: searching for innermost thoughts requires being present, uncertainty about the unpredictable and awakening of one's own existential concerns., Conclusions and Implications: Healthcare professionals are affected when young adults express their existential concerns, and they need more support to strengthen their ability to stay present and create inviting atmospheres., (© 2018 Nordic College of Caring Science.)

Aim: Pre-eclampsia can lead to premature birth aimed at saving mothers' and infants' lives. Few studies have addressed how women with serious pre-eclampsia experience to become mothers to a premature infant. The aim was to describe the phenomenon of mothers' experience of being a seriously ill with pre-eclampsia and on the same time becoming a mother of a premature infant., Methodology: A reflective phenomenological lifeworld approach with a descriptive design was used. Nine mothers were interviewed twice, between 6 and 24 days and 16 days to 16 weeks postpartum. The analysis was done by finding meaning units, and then contemporary clusters were made. The process was a movement between figure and background. The essence with its constituents emerged., Findings: Being a seriously ill mother of a premature infant requires journeying through physical and psychological suffering to be able to care and take responsibility for their beloved infants. The essence had the following constituents: conflicting feelings concerning giving birth, reflecting upon the borderline of life, longing for the infant, becoming a mother in actuality and experiencing physical exhaustion., Conclusion: Because of the acuteness of the birth and the infant's prematurity, the mothers had various feelings about becoming mothers. Existential issues concerning life and death were triggered regarding their own lives and those of their infants. Their experiences are different from those of other NICU mothers; their illnesses initially restricted them from being with their infants. The mothers found that their own health and the fact that their infants were premature and had to stay in the NICU restricted them from being able to take care of their infants. While they recovered, they strived to act as they felt a real mother should., (© 2017 Nordic College of Caring Science.)

Aim: The aim of this study was to describe the care of patients assessed as not in need of emergency ambulance care, from Registered Nurse's lived experiences., Background: Non-emergency patients in need of ambulance care are described as vulnerable and patients in ambulance care have earlier been found to be dependent on the Registered Nurse. However, little is known about the care of non-emergency patients in the ambulance setting, from the perspective of Registered Nurses., Methods: A reflective lifeworld research design was chosen. Five Registered Nurses with experience of ambulance care were individually interviewed., Results: The result reveals the essence of the phenomenon as a desire to provide good care in an on-going struggle between one's own and others' expectations. Three meaning constituents emerged in the description; Being in a struggle between different expectations, Being in a questioned professional role, and Being in lack of support and formal directives., Conclusion: Registered Nurses' care for patients assessed as not in need of emergency ambulance care, is a complex struggle between different expectations. This may be related to the encounter between the nurse's and the patient's lifeworld., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Evidence confirms that nature-based therapy (NBT) has a positive effect on people with mental illnesses. However, there is a lack of evidence on the meaning of NBT for specific patient groups. The Nacadia® Therapy Garden was designed according to an evidence-based design process, and an NBT programme was developed. The aim of the study was to illuminate the phenomenon of participants' lived experience of the NBT in Nacadia. Fourteen participants took part in semi-structured interviews (SSIs), and by way of reflective lifeworld research, the SSIs were analysed to identify and describe the meanings of the phenomenon. The essence of the phenomenon was found to be a process of adopting a searching approach to NBT and Nacadia to become familiar with the conditions. This familiarity stimulated the development of confidentiality and attachment to Nacadia. Feeling protected, safe, cared for, and not exposed was important, and motivated feelings of freedom, reduced demands, and increased the ability to access and try a spectrum of NBT activities. It encouraged participants to develop personal approaches and coping strategies to implement in their everyday lives for moving on.

Hip fractures are amongst the leading causes of admission to an orthopaedic ward. Systematized pathways with reduced admission time have become increasingly common as an essential tool for quality development and to improve efficiency in the hospital setting.  The aim of this study was to clarify if the patients feel empowered and able to perform self-care after short time stay in hospital (STSH) due to a hip fracture. The study used descriptive phenomenology to describe experiences of the pathway. Field studies were conducted in hospitals and in the patients' homes.  Interviews were performed with 10 patients recruited from two wards at a Danish University hospital, 4 family members and 15 health professionals from three hospitals.  The open attitude of reflective lifeworld research guided the analysis. The findings revealed that patients felt unprepared and insecure about their future, but also had a strong desire to be in charge of their own lives.  Of all the patients interviewed, none had any recollection of the information given to them by health professionals during their hospital admission. This study demonstrates that empowerment of patients with hip fractures is not adequately achieved in the pathway with STSH.

Aims and Objectives: The aim of the study is to deepen the understanding of abused women's vulnerability in relation to how the abuse and encounters with health care professionals affect life. A further aim is to highlight abused women's vulnerability with a caring science perspective., Background: Experience of abuse has consequences for the mental health of women and girls. Abused women may experience health care as unsupportive, and as a result, often chose not to disclose their experiences of abuse., Design and Methods: The results of two qualitative empirical studies were analysed along with a phenomenological meaning analysis in accordance with the methodological principles of Reflective Lifeworld Research., Findings: Living one's life with experiences of abuse implies vulnerability, which can prevent abused women from achieving good health. This vulnerability results from insecurity regarding identity, along with the sense that one could have been a different individual if it were not for the abuse and thereby have a more fair chance in life. Being cared for within general psychiatric care could further increase this vulnerability. The healthcare professional's ability to care for the women who have experienced abuse leads to either an encounter of trust or else further suffering for the women., Conclusion: A lifeworld-oriented caring science perspective as a foundation for care can contribute to care for abused women which reaches the existential dimensions of their vulnerability and vulnerable life situation., Relevance to Clinical Practice: It is evident that healthcare professionals should deepen their understanding of how abused women live, within a general psychiatric context. This study enables a deeper understanding of abused women's vulnerability in relation to how the abuse and encounters with healthcare professionals affect life., (© 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Purpose: Previous research shows that the learning space is significant for students' learning in pairs in clinical practice but does not explain the meaning of the phenomenon. The aim of this study is thus to explain and understand the learning space that occurs in the interaction between the patients, the pairs of nursing students, and the supervisors on a developing and learning care unit in Sweden., Method: The study has been carried out with a Reflective Lifeworld Research (RLR) approach founded on hermeneutics. A total of 39 informants, consisting of 16 patients, five pairs of students (10 students), and 13 supervisors, were observed and interviewed., Results: The results reveal that an interpersonal linkage between the patients, the students, and the supervisors is created within the learning space. A learning space, based on respect towards each other, creates the prerequisite for beneficial and supportive interactions that contribute to a deeper relationship., Conclusion: The phenomenon is complex due to its expandable nature and due to the fact that the learning space cannot be isolated from the surrounding environment. In order to exploit the potential of the learning space it is of importance to understand and consider the learning space as a whole.

Needle-related medical procedures (NRMPs) are something that all young children need to undergo at some point. These procedures may involve feelings of fear, pain and anxiety, which can cause problems later in life either when seeking healthcare in general or when seeking care specifically involving needles. More knowledge is needed about supporting children during these procedures., Aim: This study aims to explain and understand the meaning of the research phenomenon: support during NRMPs. The lived experiences of the phenomenon are interpreted from the perspective of younger children., Method: The analysis uses a lifeworld hermeneutic approach based on participant observations and interviews with children between 3 and 7years of age who have experienced NRMPs., Results: The research phenomenon, support for younger children during NRMPs, is understood through the following themes: being the centre of attention, getting help with distractions, being pampered, becoming involved, entrusting oneself to the safety of adults and being rewarded. A comprehensive understanding is presented wherein younger children experience support from adults during NRMPs in order to establish resources and/or strengthen existing resources., Conclusions: The manner in which the child will be guided through the procedure is developed based on the child's reactions. This approach demonstrates that children are actively participating during NRMPs. Supporting younger children during NRMPs consists of guiding them through a shared situation that is mutually beneficial to the child, the parent and the nurse. Play during NRMP is an important tool that enables the support to be perceived as positive., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Unlabelled: Needle-related medical procedures (NRMPs) are often frightening and cause children anxiety and pain. Only a few studies have examined the perspectives of younger children. More knowledge is needed about younger children's experiences in caring situations such as NRMPs., Aim: The aim of this study was to explain and understand the consequences related to NRMPs from younger children's perspectives., Methods: Participant observations and interviews with younger children who had experienced NRMPs were analysed using a lifeworld hermeneutic approach., Results: Experiencing fear is central for younger children during an NRMP and interpretation of its consequences formed the basis for the following themes: seeking security, realizing the adult's power, struggling for control, feeling ashamed, and surrendering. A comprehensive understanding is presented wherein younger children's experiences of NRMPs vary across time and space related to weakening and strengthening their feelings of fear., Conclusions: Awareness is needed that adults' power becomes more obvious for children during an NRMP. Children's surrender does not necessarily imply acceptance of the procedure. Providing children with opportunities to control elements of the procedure creates a foundation for active participation, and vice versa., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Phenomena in caring science are often complex and laden with meanings. Empirical research with the aim of capturing lived experiences is one way of revealing the complexity. Sometimes, however, results from empirical research need to be further discussed. One way is to further abstract the result and/or philosophically examine it. This has previously been performed and presented in scientific journals and doctoral theses, contributing to a greater understanding of phenomena in caring science. Although the intentions in many of these publications are laudable, the lack of methodological descriptions as well as a theoretical and systematic foundation can contribute to an ambiguity concerning how the results have emerged during the analysis. The aim of this paper is to describe the methodological support for the further abstraction of and/or philosophical examination of empirical findings. When trying to systematize the support procedures, we have used a reflective lifeworld research (RLR) approach. Based on the assumptions in RLR, this article will present methodological support for a theoretical examination that can include two stages. In the first stage, data from several (two or more) empirical results on an essential level are synthesized into a general structure. Sometimes the analysis ends with the general structure, but sometimes there is a need to proceed further. The second stage can then be a philosophical examination, in which the general structure is discussed in relation to a philosophical text, theory, or concept. It is important that the theories are brought in as the final stage after the completion of the analysis. Core dimensions of the described methodological support are, in accordance with RLR, openness, bridling, and reflection. The methodological support cannot be understood as fixed stages, but rather as a guiding light in the search for further meanings.

Aim: To explore and describe the essential meaning of lived experiences of the phenomenon: Everyday life during curative radiotherapy in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC)., Background: Radiotherapy treatment in patients with NSCLC is associated with severe side effects such as fatigue, anxiety, and reduced quality of life. However, little is known about the patients' experience of everyday life during the care trajectory., Design: This study takes a reflective lifeworld approach using an empirical application of phenomenological philosophy described by Dahlberg and colleagues., Method: A sample of three patients treated with curative radiotherapy for NSCLC was interviewed 3 weeks after the end of radiotherapy treatment about their experiences of everyday life during their treatment. Data were collected in 2014 and interviews and analysis were conducted within the descriptive phenomenological framework., Findings: The essential meaning structure of the phenomenon studied was described as "Hope for recovery serving as a compass in a changed everyday life," which was a guide for the patients through the radiotherapy treatment to support their efforts in coping with side effects. The constituents of the structure were: Radiotherapy as a life priority, A struggle for acceptance of an altered everyday life, Interpersonal relationships for better or worse, and Meeting the health care system., Conclusion: The meaning of hope was essential during radiotherapy treatment and our results suggest that interpersonal relationships can be a prerequisite to the experience of hope. "Hope for recovery serving as a compass in a changed everyday life," furthermore identifies the essentials in the patients' assertive approach to believing in recovery and thereby enabling hope in a serious situation.

When children endure needle-related medical procedures (NRMPs), different emotions arise for the child and his/her parents. Despite the parents' own feelings, they have a key role in supporting their child through these procedures. The aim of this study is to describe the meanings of supporting children during NRMPs from the perspective of the parents. Twenty-one parents participated in this study. A reflective lifeworld research (RLR) approach was used and phenomenological analysis was applied. The essential meaning of the phenomenon-supporting children during an NRMP-is characterized as "keeping the child under the protection of one's wings," sometimes very close and sometimes a little further out under the wingtips. The essential meaning is additionally described through its constituents: paying attention to the child's way of expressing itself, striving to maintain control, facilitating the child's understanding, focusing the child's attention, seeking additional support, and rewarding the child. The conclusion is that parents' ability to be supportive can be affected when seeing their child undergo an NRMP. To regain the role as the child's protector and to be able to keep the child "under the protection of one's wings," parents need support from the staff.

Children state that among their worst fears during hospitalization are those related to various nursing procedures and to injections and needles. Nurses thus have a responsibility to help children cope with needle-related medical procedures (NRMP) and the potentially negative effects of these. The aim of the study is to describe the lived experience of supporting children during NRMP, from the perspective of nurses. Fourteen nurses took part in the study, six of whom participated on two occasions thus resulting in 20 interviews. A reflective lifeworld research approach was used, and phenomenological analysis was applied. The result shows that supporting children during NRMP is characterized by a desire to meet the child in his/her own world and by an effort to reach the child's horizon of understanding regarding these actions, based on the given conditions. The essential meaning of the phenomenon is founded on the following constituents: developing relationships through conversation, being sensitive to embodied responses, balancing between tact and use of restraint, being the child's advocate, adjusting time, and maintaining belief. The discussion focuses on how nurses can support children through various types of conversation and by receiving help from the parents' ability to be supportive, and on whether restraint can be supportive or not for children during NRMP. Our conclusion is that nurses have to see each individual child, meet him/her in their own world, and decide on supportive actions while at the same time balancing their responsibility for the completion of the NRMP. This work can be described as "balancing on a tightrope" in an unpredictable situation.

This article illuminates the essence of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) nurses' attitudes in skin-to-skin care (SSC) practice for preterm infants and their parents. Health care providers are in a unique position to influence the dynamic between infants and parents, and SSC affects both partners in the dyad. The design is descriptively phenomenological in terms of reflective lifeworld approach. Eighteen Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian nurses from NICUs offering varied possibilities and extents of SSC participated. NICU nurses' attitudes in SSC practice are ambivalent. The nurses consider the sensory, wellness, and mutuality experiences to be primary and vital and enact SSC as much as possible. But "as much as possible" is a broad and varied concept, and their attitudes are ambivalent in terms of not always facilitating what they consider to be the optimal caring conditions. The source of NICU nurses' ambivalent attitudes in SSC practice is a complex interplay of beliefs, norms, and evidence, which have a multidisciplinary basis. The ambivalent attitudes are, to a great extent, the result of the need to balance these multidisciplinary concerns. This needs to be acknowledged in considering SSC practice, as well as acknowledging that clinical judgments concerning optimal SSC depend on parents and infants unlimited access to each other, which NICU nurses can influence.

This study explores the lived experience of losing a leg as described by the patients themselves post-discharge. Studies have documented that regardless of aetiology patients are faced with severe physical as well as psychosocial challenges post-amputation. However, only few studies explore in-depth the patients' perspective on the various challenges following the loss of a leg. The study uses the phenomenological approach of Reflective Lifeworld Research (RLR). Data were collected from 24 in-depth interviews with 12 Danish patients. Data analysis was performed according to the guidelines given in RLR. The essential meaning of losing a leg is a radical and existential upheaval, which restricts patients' lifestyle and irretrievably alters their lifeworld. Life after the operation is associated with despair, and a painful sense of loss, but also with the hope of regaining personal independence. The consequences of losing a leg gradually materialize as the patients realize how the loss of mobility limits their freedom. Patients experience the professional help as primarily directed towards physical care and rehabilitation. The findings show that the loss of a leg and, subsequently, the restricted mobility carry with them an existential dimension which refers to limitation of action space and loss of freedom experienced as an exclusion from life. Our findings demonstrate a need for complementary care and stress the importance of an increased awareness of the psychosocial and existential consequences of losing a limb.