title: "Getting the Left Right": The Experience of Hemispatial Neglect After Stroke.
abstract: We used a phenomenological approach to gain insight into the experiences of self, other, and world in patients with hemispatial neglect within the first month following stroke. Comprehensive descriptions of circumstances were conjoined with open-ended interviews of 12 participants. The neglect experience was captured in the overarching theme, "getting the left right," which encompasses the two subthemes of (a) surreal awareness of the left and (b) emergence of a different world. Patients had unclear perceptions of their own body and surroundings, their attention was brittle, and they encountered bewildering reactions from other people. They simultaneously pursued the ineffable neglected space and searched for coherence. The vulnerability, loss, and conflicting perceptions that patients with neglect face should be acknowledged and alleviation sought. Facilitating methods should provide additional opportunities for patients to communicate their experiences. We underscore the importance of readjusting the current approaches of neglect and emphasizing meaningfulness in professional guidance.
authors.affiliation: University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland The National University Hospital of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland klinke@simnet.is.
authors.forename: Marianne E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Klinke
authors.affiliation: University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zahavi
authors.affiliation: University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland The National University Hospital of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland.
authors.forename: Haukur
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hjaltason
authors.affiliation: University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland.
authors.forename: Björn
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Thorsteinsson
authors.affiliation: University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland.
authors.forename: Helga
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jónsdóttir
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001828:Body Image / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007055:Iceland; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019370:Observation; D010468:Perceptual Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: body image; embodiment / bodily experiences; interviews; lived experience; neurology; nursing; observation, participant; phenomenology; qualitative analysis; stroke