Objective: To gain a better understanding of the experience of becoming diagnosed with Lyme disease.

Design: A qualitative phenomenological design was chosen for this study.

Population: Subjects were chosen from an area known to be endemic with Lyme disease.

Methods: Ten subjects were purposefully chosen to be interviewed from a home infusion company’s database. Each subject was asked to describe his/her experience becoming diagnosed with Lyme disease during a tape-recorded interview. A research assistant then transcribed the interviews. The phenomenon studied was described as it was experienced by each subject without preconceived perceptions. The content analysis was analyzed by bracketing to identify any preconceived beliefs, intuiting or remaining open to the meaning of the phenomenon, and analyzing and defining the meaning of the phenomenon.

Findings: Analysis phase of the study is in process. Findings will be validated with the subjects and common experiences will be grouped into themes.

Conclusions: Emerging themes have not been identified by prior research. Early interventions may spare these patients from many difficulties identified in the interviews.

Implications: The sharing of these lived experiences may help health care professionals be more effective when working with this patient population. Qualitatively based nursing interventions can be designed to support the community at risk for Lyme disease.

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Back to 15th International Nursing Research Congress
Sigma Theta Tau International
July 22-24, 2004