Exploring the meaning of care among lived experiences of patients with blindness: an interpretive phenomenological study†
Article Category: Original article
Published Online: Sep 16, 2024
Page range: 319 - 326
Received: Jan 18, 2024
Accepted: Apr 07, 2024
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/fon-2024-0035
Keywords
© 2024 Mohammad Ali Mohammadi et al., published by Sciendo
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Objective
To explore the meaning of care experienced by people with blindness in hospitals.
Methods
Interpretive phenomenology along with the 6-step method of van Manen was used to conduct the study. Using purposeful sampling, 15 people with legal blindness were interviewed. Thematic analysis was used to isolate the meaning of care.
Results
Five themes emerged: (a) nurses in the eyes of patients with blindness; (b) negligence in the caring moments; (c) being cared for in ambiguity; (d) Uncoordinated care; and (e) Psychological discomfort. These sub-themes were condensed into an overarching theme titled as “marginalized patients inside the stereotypical healthcare system.”
Conclusions
Lived experiences of patients with blindness revealed that hospitals provide stereotypic or inappropriate care for this minority group in society. Health professionals particularly nurses should be skilled to provide person-centered and coordinated care for patients with blindness.