When the adrenaline wears off: the arduous passion of emergency resuscitation nursing Nurses’ experiences of in-hospital resuscitation events and clinical event debriefing in an adult emergency
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Date
2023-12-06
Authors
Toews, Andrea
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Abstract
The purpose of this study was to explore nurses’ experiences of in-hospital resuscitation events and clinical event debriefing in an adult emergency. Using a qualitative exploratory design, emergency nurses from an urban tertiary hospital located in Western Canada were invited to participate in a semi-structured, digitally recorded, 1:1 interview. Eight nurses volunteered
to participate. The digital recordings were transcribed verbatim. The transcripts and the researcher’s reflective journals were reiteratively read using content analysis. Four themes were identified: (1) emergency nurses’ experiences of resuscitation – ‘The adrenaline rush,’ (2) emergency room nurses’ experiences post-resuscitation – ‘When the adrenaline wears off’ and
‘The arduous passion of emergency room nursing,’ (3) emergency nurses’ perspectives of clinical event debriefing, and (4) emergency nurses’ recommendations for future practice and resources. Participants expressed devotion to their profession, emergency team, and patients. Participants described negative psychological consequences resulting from providing
resuscitation care, which had profound effects on their personal and professional lives. Moral distress and secondary trauma stress arose despite current resources, which were reported to be inconsistently implemented. Participants identified gaps in supportive measures related to resuscitation events. Benefits, barriers, facilitators, and recommendations for clinical event debriefing along with other recommendations for future practices to support emergency healthcare teams were identified. Improved staffing resources, a mentorship program for emergency nurses, multidisciplinary education for resuscitation teams, and public awareness describing emergency department teams’ demands were recommended. Implementing supportive measures for emergency personnel is required for their well-being, and in the best interest of the patients, families, and healthcare organization.
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Keywords
resuscitation, emergency nursing, debriefing, nurse stress, post-resuscitation, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, Lazarus and Folkman's Transactional Theory of Stress and Coping