4. Transformation and perception of time
Some studies described how patients’ perceptions of time were transformed during their experience of critical illness
and how this contributed to the way the situation was understood (Granberg et al., 1998, 1999; Magarey and McCutcheon, 2005; Papathanassoglou and Patiraki, 2003;Storli et al., 2008). Facts given to patients by healthcareprofessionals or by close family members highlight the differences between time as perceived and the actual duration of elements of the illness experience. This is not a matter of correcting misperceptions, rather, understanding and personal meaning seems to be facilitated as the contrast between different chronologies are highlighted.