Ambulance nurses’ experiences of nursing critically ill and injured children: A difficult aspect of ambulance nursing care

Abstract

BackgroundAmbulance nurses work daily in both emergency and non-emergency situations that can be demanding. One emotionally demanding situation for ambulance nurses is to nurse children who are ill. AimThe aim of this study was to describe ambulance nurses’ experiences of nursing critically ill or injured children. MethodEight specialist ambulance nurses were interviewed and the interviews were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. FindingsThe analysis resulted in one theme, a difficult aspect of ambulance nursing care, with five categories. The security of both child and parents was considered to be paramount. Ambulance nurses felt relieved when they handed over the responsibility and the child to the receiving unit. The ambulance nurses felt that more training, education and follow-up was desirable in order to increase their security when nursing children. ConclusionAmbulance nurses are subject to stressful feelings while nursing children. As providing reassurance to the child and its parents is a cornerstone of the treatment, it is important for the ambulance nurses to take the time to build up a trusting relationship in such an encounter. Skill development in the area might lead to increased security and reduce the mental burden resulting from negative stress.