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Investigation into Deep Breathing through Measurement of Ventilatory Parameters and Observation of Breathing Patterns
Published on: September 16, 2019
Patients' lived experiences of breathlessness prior to prehospital care - A phenomenological study
Wivica Kauppi1,2, Christer Axelsson1,2,3, Johan Herlitz1,2
1Faculty of Caring Science, Work Life and Social Welfare, University of Borås, Borås, Sweden.
Aims And Objectives:
The study aimed to describe how breathlessness is experienced by patients prior to prehospital care.
Design:
A qualitative phenomenological design.
Methods:
Lifeworld interviews were conducted with 14 participants. The analysis was carried out within the descriptive phenomenological framework.
Results:
The essential meaning of the breathlessness phenomenon is described as an existential fear in terms of losing control over one's body and dying, which involves a battle to try to regain control. This is further described by four constituents: being in an unknown body, striving to handle the situation, the ambiguity of having loved ones close and reaching the utmost border.
Conclusions:
Patients describe a battling for survival. It is at the extreme limit of endurance that patients finally choose to call the emergency number. It is a challenge for the ambulance clinician (AC) to support these patients in the most optimal fashion.
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