Table 2 Steps in reflexive thematic analysis [40]
Analytical phases | Description of analysis process with examples from the study | |
|---|---|---|
1 | Dataset familiarisation | The research group read, and the first author reread all interviews to become familiar with the overall content |
2 | Generation of initial codes | The first author identified concepts potentially interesting for the research question. e.g.: - I won’t let IA win over me - Goal setting was complicated - I felt heard and understood |
3 | Organisation of codes | Codes were collected into initial themes, i.e.: - Reasons for participating; expectations, hopes, thoughts. - Experience of process, goal setting and shared decision making. - Experience of change and expectations for one’s own future - Suggestion for future projects - Context. Daily life living with IA |
4 | Review and revise themes | Themes were revised to ensure that they highlighted patterns in the data. This included division and merging of themes |
5 | Define naming of themes | Ensured that the name of the theme told a concise story of the theme e.g., ‘Someone who walks with me, holds my hand or pushes me in the right direction’, which progressed to the theme: ‘Empathy, partnership and a little nudging from HPs are essential’ |
6 | Write up the results | Results were written in narrative text supported by quotations |