Qualitative IPA Report: Exploring Experiences of Pulmonary Embolism

This report presents a qualitative Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) of a patient's experience with pulmonary embolism. The study focuses on a British woman and explores her experiences, coping mechanisms, and self-management strategies. The analysis reveals key themes including acceptance of the disease, the importance of knowledge about the disease, and the adoption of self-management practices such as control, knowledge, reflection, exercise, and certainty. The report discusses the idiographic nature of IPA and its double hermeneutic approach, highlighting how the patient makes sense of her experience and how the researcher interprets that meaning. The findings emphasize the role of self-management in managing the recurrence of thrombosis, aligning with adjustment models where the patient has learned to problem-solve and limit future occurrences through proactive behaviors.

1
Qualitative IPA Report
Student’s Name: Dipti Gor
Student Id: 31037798
Personal Reflexivity
The wide range of hemodynamic consequences that the pulmonary embolism has
been presenting has made me influenced to opt for a qualitative interpretative
phenomenological analysis of a patient who is suffering from the same ailment. Being a
psychology researcher, I have been capable of assisting the interviewee to share her
feelings and experiences regarding pulmonary embolism.
Analysis
Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) is a comparatively new qualitative
approach that has rapidly become the most well-known and broadly applied qualitative
techniques in psychology ever since inception. As a consequence, it is timely to conduct an
assessment of the research that has been done so far using IPA (Shinebourne, 2011). IPA is
willing to investigate real personal experiences in detail, including the significance of
experiences to individuals and how they make logical sense of them. Though analysis is
dynamic, iterative, and multi-directional, I separated the activities into distinct stages to
illustrate how things evolved in line with my data processing (Alase, 2017). The themes
identified are discussed below:
1

2MERGEF
QUALITATIVE IPA REPORT
Reading and Note Taking
My transcripts were read and re-read at the early data analysis stage; in order to
completely engage myself in task, reviewing the transcripts — my objective was to be as
'close' to the information as possible. there are no restrictions about what could be remarked
on, any thoughts, comments, or reflections about the respondents' experiences were
documented (Smith, 2011).
Linking Emerging Themes
This phase entailed searching for interconnections between themes that emerged
based on fundamental commonalities; as suggested by Smith and Osborn (2008), I
conducted this on a separate page, with the emergent themes recorded chronologically,
based on the arrange they occurred in the transcript (Pringle et al., 2011). Whereas most
themes were gathered collectively, some appeared as overarching concepts with
hierarchical connections to one another, while others have been eliminated from the
procedure due to a lack of data. I referred to the transcripts as emergent themes were
grouped, thus forming sub-themes, to verify the linkages were similar to the original data
(Smith & Shinebourne, 2012). The emerging theme can be seen from the following table
from the responses of the interviewee:
Original Transcript Emerging
Themes
Interviewer: “Okay, so first of all I’d like to ask you if you can tell me a
little bit about what it’s like living with thrombosis?”
Respondent: “Well it’s very interesting, I, I mean I suppose because I
was seeing you
it prompted me to think.”
Interviewer: “Were you frightened at that point?”
Respondent: “Which is funny because obviously my body had failed in
some sense. I think there was the sense of, umm, being given as much
information as it
was appropriate, as I could take it in, and then afterwards I needed to do
a
lot of, umm, reading, umm, to get a, try and get a better picture of what
was,
what had gone on.”
Interviewer: “Do you think the experience that you’ve had, the
experiences of a pulmonary embolism, do you think they’ve changed the
way you think about life?”
Acceptance
2

2MERGEF
QUALITATIVE IPA REPORT
Respondent: “I think they ought to have done but they haven’t, and…
and I, it is actually something I…I’ve given a, I’ve given a lot of thought
to. And umm, (Pause) I mean the…the…the sudden death of my
friend recently, umm, that gave me a very strong sense that it’s
important to live now as you want to live, it’s no good putting it off for the
future.”
Theme 1. Coping Mechanism: Acceptance
The theme that can be extracted from the above quotations is acceptance. Research
indicates that the extent of chronic illness acceptance is usually an indicator of functioning as
well as a significant predictor of quality of life. In this context, the greater the acceptance of
disease is, the less psychological impact and less severe adverse emotions are imposed on
the patients (Biggerstaff & Thompson, 2008). Among two main strategies of coping with
disease are emotion-oriented coping strategies and problem-solving. An active coping
implies to change the nature of stressor or the ways one perceives it. On the other hand,
avoidant strategies are meant to prevent a straightforward confrontation with the stressful
events while culminating to inappropriate activities including depressive states and alcohol
consumption (Brocki & Wearden, 2006).
However, the interview session with the lady indicates that apparently the respondent
rejected her disease while also rejecting her state as a part of her identity, considering it as
unacceptable or threat to one’s self (Hefferon & Gil-Rodriguez, 2011). While the participant
wanted to avoid commenting on her feelings regarding disease, it is not that she does not
hesitate to discuss her chronic disease with the interviewer, pointing out certain details on
her very first ailment, pulmonary embolism. It clearly indicates that she is still in the ongoing
process of acceptance. In research, the notion of acceptance of disease has been depicted
as the adaptation to and acknowledgement of the ailment, acceptance of value change and
loss as well as awareness that the disease which has occurred is real (Park, 2019).
Theme 2. Coping Mechanism: Knowledge of the Disease
3

2MERGEF
QUALITATIVE IPA REPORT
Original Transcript Emerging Themes
Interviewer: “Do…do you worry about having another pulmonary
embolism at all, do you ever?”
Respondent: “Not really now, I mean having…having, you know,
researched the
literature, done the work, decided on a solution. I…I…I’ve got a
routine and
I’ve got the testing, err, routine, and so I suppose in one, in some
sense it
never goes away because I have to, that’s, I mean taking Warfarin
is a daily
thing. Umm, but I don’t, I don’t, basically my mind’s at rest that I’m
doing the right thing and I just do it.”
Knowledge of the
disease
As per research, knowledge of the disease is likely to involve a wide range of beliefs
according to the information regarding multiple aspects of the ailment that the patient has
accumulated over her life, both after and before the diagnosis. All these beliefs particularly
pertain to the etiology of the disease as well as exacerbating factors, determination of
symptoms and existing method of treatments and outcomes. Lazarus, & Folkman, (1984),
proposed the notion of cognitive evaluation to characterize the origin of stress processes.
Cognitive evaluation is a significant psychological process that modulates the emergence of
a stressful event and its repercussions in this paradigm.
In actuality, Lazarus, & Folkman, (1984), underline that cognitive appraisal is a much more
arbitrary and subjective approach in which the individual provides subjective meanings to the
distressing situation while taking into consideration their capabilities and the potential effects
of the stressful event on well-being.
Theme 3: Self-management Practices
Emerging Themes Quotes
 Self-management approaches
(control, knowledge, reflection,
exercise and certainty)
“Well it feels like an ongoing thing, but…but it
umm, I mean this is a
conversation more about life (laughs) than
pulmonary embolism in a way,
because umm, you know, some…some of the
things that (Pause) have made
me realise more clearly about the…the…the
4

2MERGEF
QUALITATIVE IPA REPORT
impermanence and uncertainty of life haven’t
been, well I mean I’ve been involved but, you
know, it’s not
me that’s been ill or…or…or…or died.”
Research implies that the more knowledgeable an individual is in terms of his/her
chronic condition, the more likelihood they develop towards self-management of their
disease quite effectively. It is evident from the interview session that the respondent was
certainly involved with a huge amount of research by reviewing literature and gaining
knowledge on specific medications. Earlier studies have pointed out that enhanced
knowledge is likely to elevate the confidence of the patient of being capable of coping with
the chronic ailment (Hocking, Laurence & Lorimer, 2013). It is usually a positive sign that the
patient has preferred to enhance her disease-associated knowledge. The cognitive
adaptation model has pointed out the significance of the patient’s sense of control over their
ailments. This prominence was also emphasized throughout this IPA report. In this case, the
lady has been quite knowledgeable of the recurrence rate of her disease. Her knowledge of
the disease has eventually led her have strong control over her self-management practices.
She has become an expert of her own chronic condition. She has thus, properly been able to
accept the disease which made her battle against the same with great perseverance.
Discussion
The IPA style has a phenomenological, double hermeneutic, interpretative, and
idiographic quality, which is a benefit. IPA is phenomenological in that it is involved with the
depiction of an individual's attitudes toward things or events (Smith, 2011). This design
intends to discover how a specific person perceives a particular event in a specified context.
Central to IPA analysis, the individual as well as how those individuals witness certain
phenomenon which in this case is suffering from a thrombosis. In this context, the priority is
on how the individuals encounter the phenomenon, however, not how being within the
phenomenon impact all individuals involved. Since I wanted to perceive how the British
5

2MERGEF
QUALITATIVE IPA REPORT
woman elaborate her experience of suffering from a thrombosis, interviewing her was the
best option (Biggerstaff & Thompson, 2008).
The second component that I considered while choosing the interview method in IPA
was all about the entire hermeneutic character. In this regard, hermeneutics is an effective
theory of comprehensive interpretations of textual implications in terms of strategies used in
writing and speaking that eventually disclose in context and intention of the writer or
speaker. While concentrating on a person’s interview, there is still a double hermeneutic at
the task: the individual participant is attempting to make complete sense of her world,
whereas the investigator is striving to make sense of how they are attempting to interpret the
world (Smith & Shinebourne, 2012). This indicates that the investigators will engage only in
assessing how each person is absorbing the experience and seeking to make sense of what
they will be saying.
With special context to the idiographic component, IPA permits the researcher in
having an extensive and detailed analysis of small cases. It permits the researcher in
concentrating on the thorough unique experiences of the disease. In this context, the
idiographic nature was imperative while considering the interview with the British women. I
was concentrating on perceiving the disease as well as the sufferer’s implications for which
interview was deemed the most suitable for me. IPA does not always record the
experiences; it also evaluates and examines how individuals can make sense of their actual
experiences in correlation to their socioeconomic, cultural, and theoretical backgrounds
(Pringle et al., 2011).
However, the findings from the IPA study indicates that thrombosis can occur due to
age and can be occurred with symptoms like breathlessness. In this context, earlier studies
have suggested that an individual should perceive what the chronic illness appears to them,
in order to regain a self-control (Hocking, Laurence & Lorimer, 2013). Also, recurrence of
thrombosis can be restricted with the self-management approaches like proper medication,
exercise, control, certainty and proper knowledge regarding the ailment.
6

2MERGEF
QUALITATIVE IPA REPORT
The present study can be drawn to the adjustment model which is usually refers to
the behavioral process by which human beings as well as other animals are capable of
maintaining an equilibrium among their various requirements or between their requirements
and the challenges surrounding their environments. Particularly the adjustment model
comprises of four main parts including 1) a motive or need in the form of a robust continuous
stimulus, 2) the nonfulfillment or thwarting of this requirement, 3) diverse activities or
exploratory behavior followed by problem-solving and 4) various responses that are capable
of removing or reducing the stimulus while completing the adjustment (Kahle, Pinsker &
Pennington, 2005). Here, in in the case of the interviewer who has already experienced two
pulmonary embolisms, can be recognized to be in the fourth part where she has been
capable of problem-solving by limiting the likelihood of reoccurrence of thrombosis by self-
management practices such as control, certainty, medication and exercise. She approached
this fourth part since she was suggested by her doctor not to take the disease lightly and
made her aware of the casualties.
Even this case study can be applied to the Control Theory proposed by Carver &
Scheier, (1982), that revolves around the notion that individuals are more likely to regulate
their behaviour through repetitive cycles of comparing their existing scenario to a standard
as well as acting for reducing any discrepancies. Self-efficacy expectations are a critical
element of Bandura's social cognitive theory (1989). This concept pertains to a person's
perceptions of their capacity to deliver the required action to attain the desired personal
goals. As a consequence, it is a crucial psychological asset for taking control of one's life
events. Self-efficacy is a significant psychological, intellectual, and emotional predictor of the
patients' behavior, impacting their engagement, persistence, tenacity, self-regulation, and
self-control. These features made self-efficacy a crucial component in stress control, and it is
a preventative measure against the influence of daily stressors on the British woman's
experience and how she addressed the stress caused by the death of a close friend. Similar
reports were found in earlier research indicating that women with breast cancer that women
7

2MERGEF
QUALITATIVE IPA REPORT
are less likely to show a required level of self-acceptance of the disease which eventually
leave no room for improvement and there are multiple factors related to self-acceptance of
women with breast cancer (Chen et al., 2017). Alternatively, the interviewee in this IPA
report has experienced the thrombosis as an inevitable part of her aging process while
continuing her regular activities of life.
After reflecting upon the use of IPA analysis, I can state that it has a tremendous
potential to evolve as a powerful tool in assisting the researchers in perceiving the lived
experiences of the individuals suffering with thrombosis. It is conceivable that the results of
IPA investigations can aid educationalists in defining future practices and policies all around
the demands and wishes of both learners and lecturers by recognizing such experiences
(Smith, 2017)
Conclusion
In IPA research, there is no clear difference between analysis and summing up —
"when one starts to compose, some themes grow large, others disappear, and the
conclusion changes" (Smith, 2011). The approach broadened once more during this stage
when I sought to break the table of themes as well as provide a narrative of the actual
stories uncovered during research; themes required to be defined, demonstrated and refined
in a narrative. The interview session with the British woman who has been suffering from
pulmonary embolism has assisted me in identifying different approaches towards accepting
a chronic disease with great positivism. This IPA report has thus aided in segregating
various themes that are needed for effectively managing a disease with proper knowledge,
acknowledgement and self-management practices.
References
Alase, A. (2017). The interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA): A guide to a good
qualitative research approach. International Journal of Education and Literacy Studies, 5(2),
9-19.
8

2MERGEF
QUALITATIVE IPA REPORT
Bandura, A. (1989). Human agency in social cognitive theory. American psychologist, 44(9),
1175.
Biggerstaff, D., & Thompson, A. R. (2008). Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA): A
qualitative methodology of choice in healthcare research. Qualitative research in
psychology, 5(3), 214-224.
Brocki, J. M., & Wearden, A. J. (2006). A critical evaluation of the use of interpretative
phenomenological analysis (IPA) in health psychology. Psychology and health, 21(1), 87-
108.
Carver, C. S., & Scheier, M. F. (1982). Control theory: A useful conceptual framework for
personality–social, clinical, and health psychology. Psychological bulletin, 92(1), 111.
Chen, S. Q., Liu, J. E., Zhang, Z. X., & Li, Z. (2017). Self‐acceptance and associated factors
among Chinese women with breast cancer. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 26(11-12), 1516-
1523.
Hefferon, K., & Gil-Rodriguez, E. (2011). Interpretative phenomenological analysis. The
Psychologist.
Hocking, A., Laurence, C., & Lorimer, M. (2013). Patients' knowledge of their chronic
disease: The influence of socio-demographic characteristics. Australian family
physician, 42(6), 411-416.
Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. Springer publishing
company.
Park, E. Y. (2019). Rasch analysis of the Disability Acceptance Scale for individuals with
cerebral palsy. Frontiers in Neurology, 10, 1260.
Pringle, J., Drummond, J., McLafferty, E., & Hendry, C. (2011). Interpretative
phenomenological analysis: A discussion and critique. Nurse researcher, 18(3).
9

2MERGEF
QUALITATIVE IPA REPORT
Shinebourne, P. (2011). The Theoretical Underpinnings of Interpretative Phenomenological
Analysis (IPA). Existential Analysis: Journal of the Society for Existential Analysis, 22(1).
Smith, J. A. (2011). Evaluating the contribution of interpretative phenomenological
analysis. Health psychology review, 5(1), 9-27.
Smith, J. A. (2017). Interpretative phenomenological analysis: Getting at lived
experience. The Journal of Positive Psychology.
Smith, J. A., & Osborn, M. (2015). Interpretative phenomenological analysis as a useful
methodology for research on the lived experience of pain. British journal of pain, 9(1), 41-42.
Smith, J. A., & Shinebourne, P. (2012). Interpretative phenomenological analysis. American
Psychological Association.
10