When she clicked the microphone, you could hear background chatter and banter

Abstract

Overview: When she clicked the microphone, you could hear background chatter and banter is a poem giving a voice to patients’ lived experience of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in their own words. Each line is a verbatim quote selectively extracted and arranged with poetic licence, from a collection of qualitative research interview transcripts exploring the lived experience of distress in MRI. Hermeneutic phenomenology was the research methodology employed for this PhD project guided by van Manen's framework [[1]van Manen M. Researching lived experience: human science for an action sensitive pedagogy. Routledge, New York2016Google Scholar]. Phenomenology provides the description of lived experience (phenomenon) by transforming participants’ lived experience into a textual expression, which are then analysed through the process of hermeneutics to “mine the meaning” of the phenomenon [[1]van Manen M. Researching lived experience: human science for an action sensitive pedagogy. Routledge, New York2016Google Scholar,[2]van Manen M. Phenomenology of practice: meaning-giving methods in phenomenological research and writing. Left Coast Press Inc, Walnut Creek, CA2014Google Scholar. A central tenant to this methodological approach is the concept of giving a voice to the participants’ perspectives. There is increasing use of art-based health research (ABHR) to create and disseminate health and social research through a range of art mediums [[3]Boydell K. Hodgins M. Gladstone B. Stasiulis E. Ineffable knowledge: tensions (and solutions) in art-based research representation and dissemination.J Appl Arts Health. 2017; 8: 193-207https://doi.org/10.1386/jaah.8.2.193_1Crossref Google Scholar]. This creative work presents empirical research findings via the medium of poetry with the aim to engage medical radiation science practitioners through this non-traditional format to stimulate dialogue and critical reflection. The original research project was approved by Charle's Sturt University's Human Research Ethics Committee. The extracted quotes shared in this poem are deidentified to maintain the privacy and confidentiality of the research participants. This poem is dedicated to the resilient individuals who graciously gave their time to the project by sharing their personal experiences. My body was sore and vulnerable from surgery the day before. ‘Just take this one hour before, that will settle you down.’ There was nothing gentle about it shoehorned me in this is hurting Is it going to be ten more minutes or twenty? ‘Here's some earplugs, it will be noisy.’ They close that door and you are on your own check your dignity at the door. They changed staff halfway through when she clicked the microphone, you could hear background chatter and banter. Another job another tick off the list she was just going through the motions just another body through the machine She said, ‘Oh it's not that bad’ and she brushed it off it's like a house of cards, it's going to fall apart. The fact that I was overweight was an inconvenience to them. She said, ‘You're doing well, you're fine.’ There's no one on the other side buried alive came out feeling indignant and discarded apologising for inconveniencing them minimal interaction an absolute failure they've got the next number to rush in I hope they don't ask me to do another one. About the authors: Johnathan and Nicola live together close by the sea on the beautiful Mid North Coast of Australia with their two young boys. Johnathan is a Senior Lecturer in Medical Imaging and PhD candidate passionate about researching user experience within medical radiation science. Nicola is an English teacher and fine arts graduate with experience within the publishing sector. She is passionate about teaching literature and helping her students explore its real-life relevancy. Johnathan would like to thank Associate Professors Rachel Rossiter and Marguerite Bramble for their research supervision and guidance for the original research study underpinning this creative works.