Studying the social construction of @entity5 -related XXXX experience: the heuristic value of Ethnoscience.

@entity1 @entity1295 @entity5
OBJECTIVES: @entity1 ' lived experience of illness and health is receiving increased attention in the medical field. Understanding @entity1 ' perspective and experiences is an undoubted asset for efficient health interventions and improved clinical concordance. @entity1 ' experiences of care and cure, however, are influenced by the cultural setting in which these experiences take place. This implies that health interventions should be "ecological" and attuned to the specific sociocultural context of the @entity1 . METHODS: Our research group is conducting a cross-cultural qualitative study aimed ad exploring how @entity1295 (a symptom very common in @entity5 ) is perceived and manifested by @entity1 in different countries (Canada, Thailand, England and Italy). In order to achieve this, the study was design according to the method of Ethnoscience, that appeared to us the best suited to explore the meanings that @entity1 attribute to their state and the linguistic patterns they use to describe it. In this paper we will describe in details the process of Ethnoscience and will discuss the heuristic value of this research approach. RESULTS: Ethnoscience was an effective research strategy for exploring how beliefs and values shape symptoms and the behavioural manifestations of @entity5 related @entity1295 . CONCLUSIONS: This paper discusses the heuristic value of Ethnoscience and its applicability to the study of health relate topics, particularly those where issues of social construction are important. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Ethnoscience is a promising and innovative research approach, able to cast light on the way @entity1 experience and make sense of their illness.
