The acute stroke unit as a meaningful space: The lived experience of healthcare practitioners

Abstract

This hermeneutic phenomenological study was undertaken in response to the recent re-organization of stroke unit provision in the United Kingdom. Through the analysis of four acute stroke unit practitioners' subjective accounts, the acute stroke unit emerged as a dynamic, meaningful space, where they experienced authenticity and belonging. The findings showed how these practitioners navigated their way through the space, thriving, and/or surviving its' associated vulnerabilities. They offer a different gaze on which to attend to the complexity and challenge that is interwoven with health professionals' flourishing, the spatiality of healthcare practice, and perhaps other demanding places of work.

Keywords: Acute stroke unit; Healthcare practitioners; Hermeneutics; Lived experience; Phenomenology; Spatiality.