Finally, selective coding was used to explore connections between themes and select the core category (Strauss and Corbin 2007). Theoretical memos were used during analysis to reflect how findings were derived from the data (Boije 2010). Discussion of the themes took place until a consensus was reached between the two researchers, with the third researcher (AL) providing peer debriefing. Quotations were extracted from the transcripts to provide supportive data for each theme. Recruitment and data collection continued until saturation was achieved (Guest et al

2006). Over the study period (November 2008 to June 2009) 71 patients were referred to The Alfred Hospital Pulmonary Rehabilitation program and 21 patients (30%) declined Selleckchem Dolutegravir to attend. Non-completion

data were collected between January and December 2009, during which time 21 patients did not complete the program. Two individuals (one non-attender) were excluded as they were not able to speak PF-01367338 cost sufficient English, and three individuals declined the invitation to participate. Nineteen non-attenders and 18 non-completers agreed to be interviewed. The demographic features of the participants are contained in Tables 1 and 2. Twenty-one interviews were conducted by telephone (11 non-attenders) and the remaining sixteen interviews (eight non-attenders) were conducted in person, with no differences in emergent themes identified between the two methods. Themes emerging from the interviews for non-attenders and non-completers are compared in Table 3. Ten women and nine men, with GOLD stages ranging from mild (Stage I) to very severe (Stage IV), declined to attend pulmonary rehabilitation at all. Twelve out of the 19 participants lived alone. Over half of the participants (n = 10) stated that they were not given any information upon referral to the pulmonary rehabilitation program regarding what would take place there. Five participants had no memory of being referred to a pulmonary rehabilitation program. I don’t

remember being referred to one, because if I remember being referred to one, I would have joined it. (P2) Getting there: Twelve participants stated that getting to the pulmonary rehabilitation venue was difficult, with nine indicating that travelling to the venue for pulmonary rehabilitation prevented their attendance. These participants enough were not able to access a car or public transport: I just can’t make it because I have no car and I have to walk all the way down to X Rd; that takes me about half an hour. (P3) Three participants stated that they would attend if they could be picked up and returned home by a transport service: I certainly would attend if there was some arrangement where they could pick me and drop me off back home. (P7) Six patients indicated that their limited physical mobility and reliance on gait aids was a barrier to attending pulmonary rehabilitation: If I ever go out I always have to go in the wheelchair.