IPA as a Method for Identifying Education and Training Needs of Informal Caregivers

Abstract

Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) is a qualitative research method that focuses on understanding, in detail, a person’s lived experience. Principles from phenomenology, hermeneutics, and idiography serve as IPA’s theoretical foundation for understanding meaning within a specific context. In this paper we describe how we used IPA to investigate how informal caregivers perceive and use remote monitoring technologies (RMTs) to help monitor and care for their family members who have dementia and are living at home. We describe the study with a particular focus on how we used IPA to analyze interview transcripts of four informal caregivers and identified education and training needs relative to making informed decisions about RMT adoption and use. Implications for researchers and educators who are interested in conducting and teaching IPA are discussed.