Giving Voice to Young People: Evocative Autoethnography as a Method of Researching Personal Experiences Connected o Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis. A discursive article

Background:
Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is one of the most common spine disorders amongst young people, with a rich body of biomedical research mainly focused on the effects of interventions. However, there still needs to be more research regarding personal experiences connected to this complex health condition, including people's views, preferences, or attitudes, even though they constitute evidence-based practice and person-centred care as understood today. This work aims to present that addressing this serious evidence-to-practice gap is needed and possible via qualitative research, specifically evocative autoethnography.

Material and methods:
Evocative autoethnography will thus be introduced, described, and reviewed in terms of its usefulness in AIS research, discussing two autoethnographies addressing and based upon scoliosis experiences of the first author of this work, that can serve as examples of how this method can be utilised.

Results and conclusions:
Evocative autoethnography allows analysing and often exploring such important issues related to AIS as body image, emotional difficulties, or psychological distress, informing health care professionals and rehabilitation practice. This is especially important in the field of AIS, where the personal consequences, coping with the condition, as well as a choice of treatment adherence are often profound and challenging for the patients and their families.