The main purpose of this study was to develop a substantive theory on the adatation experience of permanent pacemaker recipients. The question for the study was "what is the experience of adaptation in people who have received permanent pacemakers?"
The study used the grounded theory method developed by Strauss and Corbin (1998). Participants were 13 adults patients who received a permanent pacemaker within the last year. The data were collected through in-depth interviews during the period from October 2016 to March 2017. Data collection and analysis were performed simultaneously.
As a result 54 concepts, 21 subcategories, and 12 categories were deduced from the open coding process. The causal conditions for the adaptation experience appeared in this study were ''encountered implantation'', ''being constrained by the machine'', and ''attachment to life''. The central phenomenon was ''attempt to accept as part of my body''. The contextual conditions affecting this phenomenon were ''restoring vitality'' and ''unresolved physical discomforts''. The interventional condition was ‘support system''. The action / interaction strategies for the phenomenon were ''making effort for health care'', ''seeking information'', ''preparing for an emergency'', and ''pursuing psychological stability''. The result was ''living in line with the new body''.
The core category indicating the essence of the adaptation experience was shown to be ‘accepting the pacemaker as part of my body and living in line with it’the experience consisted of three stages appering in the passage of time such as, ‘resuscitation period'',‘recession period'', and ''accepting period''. When the relationships repeatedly appearing between categories were checked while continuously comparing data, two types of adatation experience were emerged; they were ''expanding type'' and ''complacent type''.
The significance of the study in terms of nursing is that the experience of permanent pacemaker recipients were understood deeply from the internal viewpoints of participants. In terms of nursing practice, the results of the study will be helpful in developing guidelines or interventios for those with permanent pacemaker. In terms of nursing education, this study can provide the contents of nursing intervention as evidentiary materials. In terms of nursing studies and theories, this study presented a substantive theory about the process for adaptation to the permanent pacemaker thereby contributing to the body of nursing knowledge.