Spotlight on Research

This qualitative study was undertaken in Sweden and explores patients' experiences of their encounters with pre-hospital staff, with a particular focus on the meanings they attribute to their relationships with ambulance clinicians.

In total, 20 people (13 males; 7 females) aged between 25 and 88 years were interviewed. They met the following criteria: aged over 18 years, conscious during their time with ambulance staff, and able to give informed consent.

Interviews were conducted either at home (n=18) or at work (n=2) according to the participants' preferences. They were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim in preparation for analysis. Three main areas were addressed, including the actual incident/experience itself, the early stages of the therapeutic relationship, and how the relationship developed during the clinical encounter.

The authors outline that the process of analysis involved three steps: naïve reading, structural analysis, and comprehensive understanding. The paper gives useful examples illustrating this approach to analysis which was informed by a phenomenological hermeneutic method, enabling the researchers to move back and forth between understanding and explanation of the content.