HEALTH ACCORDING TO THE EXPERIENCES OF IRANIAN WOMEN WITH DIABETES: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY

To reach a holistic approach for treating patients, being familiar with patients'
perception of their own health be an important matter. This study was carried out to determine the
meaning of health from the viewpoint of diabetic women.
Materials & Methods: The study was conducted using the qualitative phenomenology method. 22
diabetic women who were suffering from type 2 diabetes for at least one year and were willing to
express their experiences were selected employing purposive sampling technique. Data were collected
with the use of semi-structured interviews. All interview were tape recorded and transcribed verbatim
and were analysed simultaneously with the Van Manen method.
Result: The patients' perspectives of their health introduced health as a multi-dimensional
phenomenon which was divided into four groups of physical, psychological, sociological and spiritual
dimensions. All the groups were closely connected, however the psychological and spiritual aspects
were considered more important. Most of the responses in the physical dimension were related to
having independence. Feeling comfort and happiness was one of the main points in the psychological
dimension and in the spiritual aspect; disease as Gods will had an important role in the answers.
Conclusion: In this study, participants reported health as not just feeling physically healthy. The
attention of the patients towards other health dimensions especially psychological and spiritual aspects
shown that if patients are not feeling physically healthy, intervention the other dimensions of health
could help for improving the physical aspect as well as all the other aspects of health