"Getting the Left Right": The Experience of Hemispatial Neglect After Stroke.

• Published in: Qualitative Health Research
• Main Authors: Klinke, Marianne E, Zahavi, Dan, Hjaltason, Haukur, Thorsteinsson, Björn, Jónsdóttir, Helga
• Other Authors: 1 Univ Iceland, Sch Hlth Sci, Fac Nursing, IS-101 Reykjavik, Iceland 2 Univ Iceland, Sch Hlth Sci, Fac Med, IS-101 Reykjavik, Iceland 3 Univ Iceland, Dept Hist & Philosophy, Sch Humanities, Philosophy, IS-101 Reykjavik, Iceland 4 Natl Univ Hosp Iceland, Landspitali, Dept Neurol, Reykjavik, Iceland Organization-Enhanced Name(s) Landspitali National University Hospital 5 Univ Copenhagen, Dept Media Cognit & Commun, Philosophy, DK-1168 Copenhagen, Denmark 6 Univ Copenhagen, Dept Media Cognit & Commun, Ctr Subject Res, DK-1168 Copenhagen, Denmark
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: SAGE Publications Inc 2015
• Subjects: Heilablóðfall; Body Image; Nursing Evaluation Research; Life Change Events; Neurology; Nursing; Observation; Regression Analysis; Stroke; Iceland
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2336/593009; https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732314566328

To access publisher's full text version of this article click on the hyperlink at the bottom of the page We used a phenomenological approach to gain insight into the experiences of self, other, and world in patients with hemispatial neglect within the first month following stroke. Comprehensive descriptions of circumstances were conjoined with open-ended interviews of 12 participants. The neglect experience was captured in the overarching theme, "getting the left right," which encompasses the two subthemes of (a) surreal awareness of the left and (b) emergence of a different world. Patients had unclear perceptions of their own body and surroundings, their attention was brittle, and they encountered bewildering reactions from other people. They simultaneously pursued the ineffable neglected space and searched for coherence. The vulnerability, loss, and conflicting perceptions that patients with neglect face should be acknowledged and alleviation sought. Facilitating methods should provide additional opportunities for patients to communicate their experiences. We underscore the importance of readjusting the current approaches of neglect and emphasizing meaningfulness in professional guidance. University of Iceland Landspitali National University Hospital of Iceland Icelandic Nurses' Science Fund Research Fund of Ingibjorg R. Magnusdottir