Phenomenological Lived Experience of Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis

Abstract

This phenomenological study explored (a) the lived experience of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), (b) the patient's view of the nurse's role, and (c) the patient as comanager of RA. The purposive sample consisted of 6 Caucasian women living in West Virginia. Using Colaizzi's methodology, a rich, exhaustive description of living with RA emerged. Recommendations for nursing care quality focus on providing personalized, holistic, and humanistic care, which may ultimately improve the patient's quality of life.