Critical care nurses' communication experiences with patients and families in an intensive care unit: A qualitative study.

Hye Jin Yoo,Oak Bun Lim,Jae Lan Shim,Liza Heslop

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0235694

Hye Jin Yoo, Oak Bun Lim + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0235694

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Journal: PloS one	Publication Date: Jul 9, 2020
Citations: 33	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Asan Medical Center, Dongguk University

Abstract

This study evaluated the communication experiences of critical care nurses while caring for patients in an intensive care unit setting. We have collected qualitative data from 16 critical care nurses working in the intensive care unit of a tertiary hospital in Seoul, Korea, through two focus-group discussions and four in-depth individual interviews. All interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim, and data were analyzed using the Colaizzi’s method. Three themes of nurses’ communication experiences were identified: facing unexpected communication difficulties, learning through trial and error, and recognizing communication experiences as being essential for care. Nurses recognized that communication is essential for quality care. Our findings indicate that critical care nurses should continuously aim to improve their existing skills regarding communication with patients and their care givers and acquire new communication skills to aid patient care.

Highlights

Critical care nurses working in intensive care units (ICUs) care for critically-ill patients, and their work scope can include communicating with patients’ loved ones and care givers [1]
Distinct problems in an ICU are related to urgency; for example, hemodynamically unstable patients or patients with respiratory failure or those suffering from a cardiac arrest may be prioritized
Previous studies [4,28] have reported that critical care nurses experience communication difficulties due to high mental pressure due to work, time constraints, and the inability to use their own language; these are consistent with our findings

Summary

Introduction

Critical care nurses working in intensive care units (ICUs) care for critically-ill patients, and their work scope can include communicating with patients’ loved ones and care givers [1]. In such settings, nurses must make timely judgments based on their expertise, and this requires a high level of communication competency to comprehensively evaluate the needs of patients and their families [2,3]. Therapeutic communication, a fundamental component of nursing, involves the use of specific strategies to encourage patients to express feelings and ideas and to convey acceptance and respect.

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Conclusion