A Ricoeur-Inspired Approach to Interpret Participant Observations and Interviews

Abstract

In-depth knowledge of what it means to patients to receive health care services is crucial to the development of adequate protocols for nursing. Qualitative research allows us to gain important insight into what is experienced by and meaningful to patients. The French philosopher Paul Ricoeur’s thoughts have inspired qualitative researchers to conduct various forms of analysis and interpretation that increase our knowledge of ways of being-in-the-world. This article describes and discusses how a specific approach to derive in-depth knowledge of patients’ lived experiences can be taken. A combination of participant observations and interviews was used to generate data. Field notes and transcribed interviews were gathered as one collective text and analyzed and interpreted with inspiration from Ricoeur’s thoughts on narratives and interpretation. This approach is argued to be a significant way of developing in-depth knowledge of patients’ lived experiences. Such knowledge is important within nursing science.

Breathing through a troubled life – a phenomenological-hermeneutic study of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients’ lived experiences during the course of pulmonary rehabilitation

“…The design of this qualitative study was guided by a phenomenological hermeneutic approach. A combination of ethnographic participant observations and narrative interviews was conducted to capture the patients' lived experiences in-depth (Simonÿ et al, 2018). Data, in the form of gathered field notes (FN) and transcribed interviews (I), were interpreted with inspiration from the theory of narrative and interpretation by the French philosopher Paul Ricoeur (Simonÿ et al, 2018).…”

“…The researcher was continuously guided by the overall questions of what was essential to the patients during their participation in the rehabilitation programme. The long-lasting observations allowed a "bridled" approach with dwelling upon not only initially clear, but also more hidden phenomena, expressed by the actors (Dahlberg, 2006;Simonÿ et al, 2018). To achieve the most relevant data, the researcher was alternating between full participation and full observation (Hammersley & Atkinson, 2007;Spradley, 1980).…”

“…Field notes and transcribed interviews were gathered into one collective text of 313 pages and interpreted in a three-leveled process inspired by Ricoeur's theory of narrative and interpretation (Dreyer & Pedersen, 2009;Pedersen, 1999;Ricoeur, 1976;Simonÿ et al, 2018). This approach is closely described by Simonÿ et al (Simonÿ et al, 2018) and can be characterized as a dialectical phenomenological-hermeneutical interpretation that provides highly informative knowledge of real-life experiences of what it is like to be in the world as a COPD patient while participating in pulmonary rehabilitation. It includes an initial naïve reading, structural analysis and a critical interpretation and discussion of what the study contributes to our knowledge (Simonÿ et al, 2018).…”

“…This approach is closely described by Simonÿ et al (Simonÿ et al, 2018) and can be characterized as a dialectical phenomenological-hermeneutical interpretation that provides highly informative knowledge of real-life experiences of what it is like to be in the world as a COPD patient while participating in pulmonary rehabilitation. It includes an initial naïve reading, structural analysis and a critical interpretation and discussion of what the study contributes to our knowledge (Simonÿ et al, 2018).…”

“…Therefore, it is warranted to explore what actually occurs in the sessions of rehabilitation and what is of significance to the patients during their rehabilitation process. It is anticipated to provide expanded knowledge about what is at stake to the patients by applying a study design that combines field observations and interviews (Simonÿ et al, 2018). By such a study detailed and nuanced knowledge of patients' real-life experiences can be gained.…”