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Service user involvement enhanced the research quality in a study using interpretative phenomenological analysis – the power of multiple perspectives
Author(s) -
Mjøsund Nina Helen,
Eriksson Monica,
Espnes Geir Arild,
HaalandØverby Mette,
Jensen Sven Liang,
Norheim Irene,
Kjus Solveig Helene Høymork,
Portaasen IngerLill,
Vinje Hege Forbech
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of advanced nursing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.948
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 1365-2648
pISSN - 0309-2402
DOI - 10.1111/jan.13093
Subject(s) - interpretative phenomenological analysis , qualitative research , mental health , psychology , empirical research , service (business) , ambiguity , applied psychology , nursing , sociology , medicine , epistemology , psychotherapist , social science , computer science , philosophy , economy , economics , programming language
Aim The aim of this study was to examine how service user involvement can contribute to the development of interpretative phenomenological analysis methodology and enhance research quality. Background Interpretative phenomenological analysis is a qualitative methodology used in nursing research internationally to understand human experiences that are essential to the participants. Service user involvement is requested in nursing research. Design We share experiences from 4 years of collaboration (2012–2015) on a mental health promotion project, which involved an advisory team. Methods Five research advisors either with a diagnosis or related to a person with severe mental illness constituted the team. They collaborated with the research fellow throughout the entire research process and have co‐authored this article. We examined the joint process of analysing the empirical data from interviews. Our analytical discussions were audiotaped, transcribed and subsequently interpreted following the guidelines for good qualitative analysis in interpretative phenomenological analysis studies. Results The advisory team became ‘the researcher's helping hand’. Multiple perspectives influenced the qualitative analysis, which gave more insightful interpretations of nuances, complexity, richness or ambiguity in the interviewed participants’ accounts. The outcome of the service user involvement was increased breadth and depth in findings. Conclusion Service user involvement improved the research quality in a nursing research project on mental health promotion. The interpretative element of interpretative phenomenological analysis was enhanced by the emergence of multiple perspectives in the qualitative analysis of the empirical data. We argue that service user involvement and interpretative phenomenological analysis methodology can mutually reinforce each other and strengthen qualitative methodology.