title: [Life experiences of Korean patients with Hansen's disease in Sorok Island Hospital].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to identify life experiences of Korean patients with Hansen's disease (leprosy).
  
  
  METHODS
  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.
  
  
  RESULTS
  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.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, Wonkwang University, Iksan, Korea. ykyang@wku.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Ya Ki
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D044466:Asian People; D005195:Family Relations; D005260:Female; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007918:Leprosy / Q000473:pathology*; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D056910:Republic of Korea; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Hansen's disease; Infection; Leprosy; Life experiences; Phenomenography