Experiences of nurses related with the care of the critically ill patients during the maritim transportation

Abstract

The necessity for special care and diagnostic exams requires boat transportation of the critically ill patient between the islands of Pico and Faial. This study aims to analyse the experiences of nurses from Unidade de Saúde da Ilha do Pico in regards to the care of the critically ill patient during boat transportation.

This is a qualitative study with a phenomenological approach. The information was collected on February and March 2010, through semi-structured interviews of eight nurses, intentionally selected, seeking data saturation. The analysis was in concordance with Colaizzi’s steps of methodological approach.

Professional Responsibility emerges as a main theme in the study, with technical, human and ethical dimensions. Another category was the Emotional, which contains pleasant emotions and, predominantly, unpleasant emotions.

The elements that facilitate or generate difficulties during transportation, led to a new category of Mediator Factors. The Feedback category occurs after the transportation process, which includes action reflection, as well as learning and searching for more formation.

With this study, the unpleasant feelings occur during the planning and carrying out of the transfer and the pleasant feelings arise after delivery of the patient at the host institution; this feeling is related to the handing over of the patient and the fact that the transfer has occurred without incident.

The study focuses on the importance of the facilitating aspects of care to critically ill patients, namely adequate transport planning, prior experience, training, and monitoring by another professional.

We also noted that the experiences of nurses while caring for critically ill patients leads to action and reflection over practices, as well as to the constant scientific updating, which facilitates learning through experience and further improves the safety and quality of care.