Using interpretative phenomenological analysis to inform physiotherapy practice: An introduction with reference to the lived experience of cerebellar ataxia

Figures & data

Table 1  Indicative overview of sample size for IPA studies 2006–2009*

Total number of studies	Mean sample size	Range	Mode
136	12	1–100	8 (20/136)
Authors	Topic	Sample size	Nature of the sample
Clare et al. 2008	Experience of living with dementia in residential care	n = 80	Unstructured conversations with men and women with moderate-severe dementia living in residential care homes
Reid, McKenna, Fitzsimmonds, and McCance, 2009	Experience of cancer cachexia	n = 27	Purposive sampling of 15 people with cancer cachexia and 12 family members
Dickson, Allan and O'Carrol, 2008	Experience of loss and biographical disruption following spinal cord injury	n = 8	Purposive sample of six men and two women at least two years post incomplete C5 or C6 spinal cord injury
Pullen, Povey, and Grogan, 2009	Women's decision making about attending cardiac rehabilitation classes	n = 8	Sample of five women who decided to participate in cardiac rehabilitation and three women who declined
Glasscoe and Smith, 2008	Experience of bringing up a child with cystic fibrosis	n = 1	An idiographic case report of one mother's experience taken from a corpus of interviews with four mothers who had one school-age child with cystic fibrosis and at least one unaffected sibling

*Figures derived from Academic Search Complete, from January 2006 to December 2009; key words, “interpretative phenomenological analysis” in the abstract, self-reported IPA study, results sifted for sample size from interview studies only.

Clare L, Rowlands J, Bruce E, Surr C, Downs M 2008 The experience of living with dementia in residential care: An interpretative phenomenological analysis. Gerontologist 48: 711–720

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Reid J, McKenna H, Fitzsimmonds D, McCance 2009 The experience of cancer cachexia: A qualitative study of advanced cancer patients and their family members. International Journal of Nursing Studies 46: 606–616

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Dickson A, Allan D, O'Carrol R 2008 Biographical disruption and the experience of loss following spinal cord injury: an interpretative phenomenological analysis. Psychology and Health 23: 407–425

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Pullen SA, Povey RC, Grogan SC 2009 Deciding to attend cardiac rehabilitation: A female perspective. International Journal of Therapy and Rehabilitation 16: 207–217

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Glasscoe C, Smith JA 2008 Through a mother's lens: A qualitative analysis reveals how temporal experience shifts when a boy born pre-term has cystic fibrosis. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry 13: 609–626

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