Patient's expression of hope and illness narratives in three neurological conditions: a meta-ethnography

Abstract

Hope has been identified as a key attribute required for neurological rehabilitation. Expressions of hope form the basis for patient narratives within this context. The purpose of this study was to use patient's experience of hope as a way of understanding narrative types. This study looks at three different neurological conditions: spinal cord injury, stroke and multiple sclerosis. Using a meta-ethnographical method, eight narrative macrostructures were identified by three groups of hope: (1) hope as a dichotomy, (2) hope as a paradox and (3) transcendence. The discussion provides further details of these groups and establishes how therapeutic emplotment may influence and guide narratives within neurological rehabilitation.

Keywords:

• neurology
• illness narratives
• qualitative
• hope

Acknowledgements

Our thanks to Dr Lyons for editorial comments and support. Also thanks to the three reviewers for their insightful comments on earlier drafts of this paper.

Notes

1. Barnard takes this concept from Becker's (1973) ‘existential boundary’.