The importance for daily occupations of perceiving good health: Perceptions among women with rheumatic diseases

Objective: The purpose was to describe and characterize what women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) perceive as important in considering the performance of daily occupations to perceive good health. Methods: By using a phenomenographic research approach with semi-structured interviews with nine women between the ages of 42 and 65 the core category "Being able to be as active as possible in daily occupations" emerged. Results: The women's repertoire of daily occupations had changed as the years had passed. To perceive good health the women expressed the importance of continuing to be active and to perform occupations as independently as possible despite their chronic rheumatic diseases. Conclusions: By adapting to their level of physical function and strength and by compensation with assistive devices, selecting adjusted environment, and by getting support from others, the women perceived good health. The results also suggested that training in different ways, medical treatment, and rheumatologic team care were related to increased performance of daily occupations and the perceptions of good health.