| Medical knowledge and functional assessment are analyzed with scaled measurement instruments and qualitative data from interview narratives. Focusing on functional ability after an acute stroke event, this dissertation presents an account of functional independence in self-care and routine activities by presenting scaled item results and narrative themes. These findings suggest that clinical measurement scales are adequate in assessing the body as a biological phenomenon, but fail at capturing one's sense of embodiment, of the subjective experience of being an embodied entity. With quantitative and qualitative assessments of biological and sociological factors, we can better understand functional recovery after a traumatic health experience such as stroke. |
