Diagnosed with Hepatitis C: a descriptive exploratory study.

A descriptive exploratory study was carried out to elicit the felt-experience of Hepatitis C infection. A non-probability sampling strategy was employed which generated a sample of nine participants for in-depth interview. Data analysis revealed that the diagnosis had precipitated a transition in the participants' lives. Factors were identified that served as barriers and facilitators to their transition experience. At the time of data collection all of the participants were not experiencing indicators of a healthy transition. It was evident that the transitional experience was neither time-bound nor linear in nature.