Also during the analysis the texts have been carefully considered if interpretations Selleckchem PF-01367338 are rooted in the participants’ narratives. To reduce bracketing the analysis and interpretation process were consecutively discussed with two very experienced researchers. In addition, the interviewer had knowledge of the department

where the informants were hospitalized, whereby the pre-understanding might influence the findings. However, it was seen as an advantage to be aware of the context in which the informants’ narratives emerged. Participants A purposeful sample was made (Polit & Beck, 2010). Eight persons were contacted by the head nurse at first; three persons agreed to participate (Table I). The participants were recruited from a high-technology intensive care unit at a larger Danish university hospital receiving medical and surgical patients. It is known that many intensive care patients

have recall problems. Prolonged admission and respirator treatment influence the ability to recall the stay and the respirator treatment including the experiences attached to nursing care (Bergbom-Engberg, Hallenberg, Wickstrom, & Haljamae, 1988; Capuzzo et al., 2001). To minimize some of the recall problems, inclusion criteria specified that patients must have been discharged from the intensive care unit within the last 6 to 12 months and have received respirator treatment for 1 week or longer. Because of the recall problems Alisertib in vivo it was very difficult to recruit participants. Table I Description of the three participants. Adults above 18 years interested in telling about their experiences were selected. We assumed that there would be other experiences of dependency among children and adolescents. Persons who could speak and understand Danish and had a Danish culture participated. This seems relevant,

as dependency is considered a value in the western society. Finally, participants were interviewed after discharge considering ethical issues concerning their well-being, research has shown that intensive care patients are strongly affected emotionally by the intensive care experience during their stays and after discharge to another ward (McKinney & Deeny, 2002). Patients with signs of posttraumatic stress why or patients who were mentally unstable during admission to the intensive care unit did not participate. The head nurse was in telephone contact with former patients who complied with the criteria. Participants were briefly informed about the study by the head nurse and if they were interested, a letter was sent with additional information. Subsequently, participants were contacted by telephone for confirmation of participation and to make an appointment for the time and place of the interview. The written material suggested that interviews take place in the participant’s home, but each participant made his or her own decision.