The main purpose of this critical ethnography was to examines the process and discourses through which family caregivers experience while caring for their sick family member in a hospital.

This was achieved by conducting in-depth interviews with 12 family caregivers, and by observing their caring activities and daily lives in natural settings. The study field was a unit for neurologic patients. Data was analyzed using taxonomy, discourse analysis, and proxemics. All research work was iteratively processed from March 2003 to December 2004.

Constant comparative analysis of the data yielded the process of becoming a successful family caregiver: encountering the differences and chaos as novice; constructing their world of skilled caregivers; and becoming a hospital family as experienced caregivers. During the process of becoming an experienced hospital family, the discourse of family centered idea guided their caring behaviors and daily lives.

The paternalistic family caregivers struggled, cooperated, and harmonized with the patriarchal world of professional health care system. During this process of becoming hospital family, professional nurses must act as cultural brokers between the lay family caring system and the professional caring system.

This study was to explore the experiences of perioperative patients with cancer. The purpose of this inquiry was to describe the essence of such experiences, and to understand them from the patients'point of view.

Participants in this study were 9 cancer patients with ages ranging from 31 to 70 years old, living in B city, who experienced cancer operations. Data collection consisted of in-depth interviews and an observation method done from October to December in 2003. In analysing data, Colaizzi's(1978) phenomenological research method was adopted.

Five categories emerged from ten theme clusters. The five categories were: ‘ shock’, ‘ expectations & wishes’, ‘ despair’, ‘ feelings of burden’, ‘ continual pain’.

The results of this study showthat oncology nurses need to pay more attention to the psychosocial aspect of nursing to empathize and support the cancer patients who suffer and its treatment, and operations.

The purpose of this study was to identify and understand nurses' experiences of the death of patients in geriatric hospitals.

Van Manen's hermeneutic phenomenological analysis was applied in the interpretation of experiential descriptions of seven nurses who had experienced the death of patients in a geriatric hospital.

The essential subjects derived from the experience of the nurses on the death of patients in a geriatric hospital are covered in the following 7 themes. 'Placed in death site', 'Difficult repetition of death and farewell', 'Emotional waves that rushes in after farewell', 'Dilemmas in a place with no preparation to greet expected death', 'Getting dull from continually being struck with sorrow', 'Being together with living death', and 'Showing courtesy for a good farewell and living well'.

The results of this research will contribute to the development of policy on all the deaths of patients in geriatric hospitals and suggest basic data that need to be applied in real practice and directions to introduce plans for realistic improvements in nursing care of deathbed patients in geriatric hospitals.

The purpose of this study was to identify life experiences of Korean patients with Hansen's disease (leprosy).

For this study, 5 participants from Sorok Island Hospital were purposively chosen. Data were collected through in-depth individual interviews from June to July 2014. Data analysis method was based on Colaizzi's approach.

The study results showed that experiences of patients with Hansen's disease consisted of 14 themes and six theme clusters: 1) Bad disease approaching as fate; 2) Family breakup and far from the village; 3) New life in Sorok Island Hospital; 4) Treatment of Hansen's disease and disability; 5) Life in the disease community; 6) Comfort and hope of life.

The findings of this study indicate that health care professionals should pay attention to patients with Hansen's disease not only to reduce their physical and psychological suffering, but also to help the community and public culture to reduce the social stigma surrounding this disease and causing suffering for the patients. The results of the present study can help us to have a better understanding of various aspects of patients' lived experiences.

The purpose of this study was to further understanding of the experience in acceptance of hospice by patients with terminal cancer and to explore the structure of this experience.

A phenomenological methodology was used for the study. Participants were nine patients who were admitted to the hospice unit of a university hospital. In-depth interviews were done for data collection and the data were analyzed using Colaizzi's method.

Four categories, eight theme clusters and 18 themes were identified for the experience in acceptance of hospice by patients with terminal cancer. The three categories were 'Hope for a comfortable death', 'Overcoming barrier of prejudice about hospice', 'Incessant craving for life', 'The last consideration for self and family'.

While accepting the hospice care, participants experienced inner conflict between giving up medical treatments that prolong life and choosing a comfortable death, and also experienced an incessant craving for life. By accepting hospice care, they showed a human dignity that entails careful concerns for both self and family members.

The study was done to explore meanings and essence of the experience in South Korea of men defectors from North Korea.

Data were collected from March, 2011 to May, 2012, through in-depth interviews with ten men defectors. Data analysis was conducted using the process of hermeneutic phenomenological reflection.

Eight essential themes were extracted; 'buoyant expectation for a new life', 'feeling guilty about family left behind in North Korea', 'inability to become acclimatized due to communication difficulties', 'inability to socialize with South Koreans due to different lifestyles', 'finding strength through trustworthy acquaintances', 'continuing reconciliation with oneself while trying to assimilate into South Korean culture', 'self-realization of one's original self', and 'continuing to feel out the possibility of a future in South Korea'.

The findings indicate that North Korean men who defect to South Korea shape their identity through three phases: forming self-image during escape from North Korea, trying to become accustomed to South Korean society, and finding their own identity by self-realization of their original self. Eventually, the whole process enables them to recover their identity, to feel a sense of belonging, and to discover possibilities for a better future.

The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of Korean mothers in parenting children with Hunter's syndrome, an X linked recessive genetically inherited disease usually affecting boys.

Data were collected from 14 mothers having children with Hunter's syndrome, through two focus group interviews and individual in-depth interviews. Qualitative data from the field notes and transcribed notes were analyzed using the grounded theory methodology developed by Strauss & Corbin (1998).

The core category about the process of rearing children with Hunter's syndrome was identified as "navigating in the maze". The process of rearing children with Hunter's syndrome passed through three phases; 'entering an unknown region', 'struggling to escape from the unknown region', 'settling down in the unknown region'.

In this study "navigating in the maze", as the core category deeply showed joys and sorrows of mothers in the process of rearing their children with Hunter's syndrome. In this rearing process they gradually adjusted themselves to their given condition. Also they gained initiatively coping strategies to care for, and protect their children. Therefore health care providers can establish supportive programs in the clinical field to empower these mothers by reflecting their proactive coping strategies.

The purpose of this study was to explore the subjective experiences of stigma among mentally ill persons.

Phenomenological methodology was used for the study. Participants were twelve people with mental illness enrolled at the S community mental health center in GyeongGi-Do. Data were collected via in-depth interviews from August 30 to October 1, 2010 and analyzed using Colaizzi's framework.

Four themes and sixteen formulated meanings were identified for the stigma experiences of participants with mental illness. The four themes were 'Incapable of struggling against unfair treatment', 'Living as an outsider', 'Being constrained by oneself', 'Being in suspense over disclosure of oneself'.

The results from this study underscore the need for an educational and awareness programs to reduce public stigma among the general population and self-stigma among people with mental illness. In addition, efforts are also needed to prioritize mental illness stigma as a major public health issue at the government and community level.

The purpose of this study was to understand the meanings and nature of living in the world among cancer patients. The present study adopted a hermeneutic phenomenological method which was developed by van Manen.

The participants for this study were 5 men and 6 women, who were over the age of 20 with admission or a follow up visit in the medical or surgical department. Data were collected by using in-depth interviews and observations from February to September, 2007. The contents of the interviews were tape-recorded with the consent of the subject.

The essential themes that fit into the context of the 4 existential grounds of body, time, space and other people were: a body that cannot be restored, a body that endures and lives, waiting in uncertainty, a valued calculation for the living day, being in a world of invisible power, reestablishing relationships, and reflection on his or her life.

These findings revealed that living in the world is affected to varying degrees by the cancer. It is important for nurses to identify and take care of disabilities and to support the reorientation in the disintegrated life situation. The result of this study can give nurses some insight into these experiences and help promote empathetic care.

The purpose of this study was to understand the experiences of mental health hospital workers.

Participants in the study were a total of 8 mental health hospital workers who consisted of nurses, social welfare workers and health managers. To prevent them from being omitted, the interviews were all recorded under the participants prior agreement. The method was analysis using the phenomenological method proposed by Colaizzi(1978).

The experiences of the participants of this study were classified into 15 significant areas, from which 10 subjects hard work, conflicts, heavy feeling, irritability, getting familiar, changes of recognition, aptitude determination, feeling of achievement and sense of pride were drawn out. These subjects were then grouped into 5 themes. These five themes were finally grouped into 5 categories, negative emotion, depressive emotion, changes of thinking, delight and value discovery.

The study tried to analyze the experiences of key informants like nurses, social welfare workers and health managers all of whom were serving at mental health hospitals, contribute to social recognition about the special medical establishment, promote qualitative mental health nursing and further provide educational information necessary for understanding mental health hospital workers.

The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of recovery from disease in the patients doing a kind of Buddhist meditation, and to develop a grounded theory about meditation.

Data was collected by an in-depth interview using tape-recordings from sixteen participants doing meditation. The data was analyzed using the grounded theory method proposed by Strauss and Corbin(1998).

The core category was discovering the true self. The participants began to do meditation because of their disease. They experienced obstacles due to incomplete religious acceptance. However, their faith grew gradually based on religious experiences that were indescribable. Finally, they entirely trusted the inner healer, which is emphasized in meditation. The strategies that they used were self reflection and seeking help for accepting deep meditation. They were stabilized in physical, psychological and social daily living. The processes of discovering the true self were identified as entering religious discipline, embodying religious discipline, self-accomplishing religious faith, and recovering mind-body health.

This study provided the understanding of mind-body integration. Empirical research may be needed to prove scientifically the effects of meditation.