Critical care nurses' lived experiences of interhospital intensive care unit-to-unit transfers: A phenomenological hermeneutical studyShow others and affiliations
2020 (English)In: Intensive & Critical Care Nursing, ISSN 0964-3397, E-ISSN 1532-4036, Vol. 61, p. 1-7, article id 102923Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
Objective: To explore critical care nurses' lived experiences of transferring intensive care patients between hospitals. Methods: A phenomenological hermeneutic approach using data generated through individual inter-views with 11 critical care registered nurses. Setting: Two general intensive care units in Sweden. Findings: Five themes were identified: it depends on me; your care makes a difference; being exposed; depending on interprofessional relationships; and sensing professional growth. These themes were synthesised into a comprehensive understanding showing how transferring intensive care patients between hospitals meant being on an ambivalent journey together with the patient but also on a journey within yourself in your own development and growth, where you, as a nurse, constantly are torn between contradictory feelings and experiences. Conclusion: Interhospital intensive care unit-to-unit transfers can be a challenging task for critical care nurses but also an important opportunity for professional growth. During the transfer, nurses become responsible for the patient, their colleagues and the entire transfer process. In a time of an increasing number of interhospital intensive care unit-to-unit transfers, this study illuminates the risk for missed nursing care, showing that the critical care nurse has an important role in protecting the patient from harm and safeguarding dignified care. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Elsevier, 2020. Vol. 61, p. 1-7, article id 102923
Keywords [en]
Critical care, Critical care nursing, Transfer, Patient transfer, Caring, Phenomenological research, Hermeneutics, Qualitative research, Qualitative studies
National Category
Nursing
Research subject
Health and Caring Sciences, Nursing
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-100053DOI: 10.1016/j.iccn.2020.102923ISI: 000591957300001PubMedID: 32859478Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85089860422OAI: oai:DiVA.org:lnu-100053DiVA, id: diva2:1518485
2021-01-152021-01-152021-07-02Bibliographically approved