Qualitative research on post-vitrectomy prone position experience of rotating nursing students

Abstract

Objective To explore rotating nursing students′ feelings and experience of patients′ postoperative prone position during their practice in department of ophthalmic surgery, so as to make them more considerate about the patients′ pain and difficulty out of transference, more patient to the patients, and thus increase patients′ comfort and satisfaction. Methods Hermeneutic phenomenological method in qualitative research was adopted. Every rotating nursing student, during the rotation, spent 40 min experiencing the prone position, and 12 were interviewed fully by researchers about their actual feelings and thoughts. Results With generic analysis, after repeated introspection, comparison and induction, four major themes were extracted: comfort level of the prone position was lower than expected; existing prone position equipments needed to be improved; nursing students were lack of patience to the prone-position patients; clinical teaching methods of nursing needed to be improved. Conclusions By experiential teaching, nursing students are fully aware of the discomfort of prone position and shortcomings of equipments, which help them to be more empathetic and more patient to the patients. Key words: Prone position; Transference, psychology; Rotating nursing students; Vitreoretinal diseases; Experiential teaching; Qualitative research