Lived Experiences and Meaning-Making in Regenerative Stem Cell Therapy
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Abstract
Regenerative medicine and tissue engineering offer innovative solutions to restore damaged tissues and improve patients’ quality of life. Yet, little is known about how patients experience and make meaning of regenerative stem cell therapy in their everyday lives. This study addresses this gap by asking: How does regenerative stem cell therapy shape patients’ perceptions of identity, autonomy, and quality of life? Using an interpretative phenomenological approach (IPA), we conducted in-depth interviews with 12 participants to explore these lived experiences. The analysis revealed four central themes: reclaiming bodily integrity, navigating emotional struggles, reconstructing identity, and fostering hope for the future. These findings highlight that recovery extends beyond physical restoration, involving profound psychological and existential transformations. This study contributes novelty by uncovering the psychosocial dimensions often overlooked in outcome-driven research, and it offers practical implications for patient-centered care frameworks in regenerative medicine. By integrating biomedical outcomes with personal meaning-making, the research emphasizes a more holistic perspective on the patient journey.
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References
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