Phenomenology as a healthcare research method

Correspondence to Dr Joanna Smith, School of Healthcare, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9UT, UK; [email protected]

Qualitative research methodologies focus on meaning and although use similar methods have differing epistemological and ontological underpinnings, with each approach offering a different lens to explore, interpret or explain phenomena in real-world contexts and settings. In this article, we provide a brief overview of phenomenology and outline the main phenomenological approaches relevant for undertaking healthcare research.

What is phenomenology?

Edmund Husserl (1859–1938), a philosopher, established the discipline of phenomenology. In Husserl’s approach to phenomenology, now labelled descriptive phenomenology, experiences are described and researcher perceptions are set aside or ‘bracketed’ in order to enter into the life world of the research participant without any presuppositions.¹ Experience is recognised to involve perception, thought, memory, imagination and emotion, each involving ‘intentionality’, as the individual focuses their gaze on a specific ‘thing’ or event.¹ Martin Heidegger (1889–1976), a student of Husserl, rejected the theory of knowledge or ‘epistemology’ that influenced Husserl’s work, and instead adopted ‘ontology’, the science of being. In relation to research, ‘epistemology’ is concerned with what constitutes valid knowledge, and how knowledge is gained with a distinction between justified belief and opinion, while ‘ontology’ ‘is more concerned with the nature of reality and now we understand what exists and is experienced.

Heidegger developed interpretive phenomenology using hermeneutics, the philosophy of interpretation, and postulated about the concept of ‘being’ in the world, asking, ‘What is being?’. Heidegger was interested in interpreting and describing human experience but rejected ‘bracketing’ because he accepted that prior understandings impact on our interpretations of the world.¹ Table 1, adapted from Rodriguez,² provides an overview of the key differences between Husserl’s and Heidegger’s phenomenological perspectives.

Table 1

Key differences between Husserl’s and Heidegger’s approaches to phenomenology

Descriptive phenomenology (Husserl) also labelled transcendental phenomenology

Interpretive phenomenology (Heidegger) also labelled hermeneutic phenomenology

Epistemological in orientation, questioning knowledge: How do we know what we know? Historical context is irrelevant. The meaning rich data is the subject of analysis. Essences of consciousness or conscious experience can be shared. Meaning is not influences by researcher belief systems and experiences. Data stands alone but meanings can be reconstructed. Bracketing supports the validity of interpretation, enabling...