Analysis of a silent voice: a qualitative inquiry of embroidery created by a patient with schizophrenia.

A poster-sized piece of embroidery, completed in the 1960s, hangs in the Glore Psychiatric Museum, a testament to the daily experience of a woman who rarely spoke and was diagnosed with schizophrenia. The embroidery document was analyzed by three researchers who came to agreement on themes via triangulation and constant comparison. The woman's lived experience was considered. The analysis found that although the patient was silent, she was connected in interesting ways to the environment around her. Implications for nursing care include awareness of the importance of milieu to patients, that silence should not be inferred to be detachment, and nurses should continue to develop creative ways to engage patients who may communicate in nontraditional ways.