Paper
Thursday, July 22, 2004
Holistic Practices of Pediatric Burn Intensive Care Unit Nurses
Karla Z. Levy, RN, PhD, School of Nursing, School of Nursing, Univeristy of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, Texas, TX, USA
| Learning Objective #1: Identify three explanations of why the identified practices were marginalized by the participants |
| Learning Objective #2: Identify three actions to bring from the margin nurses' everyday, taken-for-granted practices that faciliate the healing of critically burned children |
Objective: To articulate aspects of the life-world of pediatric BICU nurses to gain an understanding of the nature of healing. To uncover common meanings of healing embedded in the practices and narratives of the particiants. Design: This in-hospital study was framed by interpretive phenomenology. Population: A convenience sample of 16 pediatric BICU nurses volunteered. The research setting is a internationally recognized pediatric burn hospital. The study was conducted from November 2000 to December 2002. Methods: Multiple semi-structured interviews and participant observations were conducted. Data were collected and interpreted concurrently. Data were interpreted with thematic analysis. Findings: Following 112 hours of interviews and 134 hours of observation, 27 practices were disclosed that revealed the implicit wholeness of the nurses: they sought ways to comfort, to establish meaningful relationships, and to facilitate higher levels of well-being of others and self. Healing was innate and instinctive: it was within the nurses' character to respond to others' holistic needs. These nurses however did not attribute their practices to nursing. Conclusions: Data evidenced practices that nourished the whole person. The focus on curing did not preclude caring. These nurses sought ways to nurture the children's emotional and spiritual wounds, alongside their physical wounds, as well as the suffering of families and co-workers. Implications: The practices were ordinary and taken-for granted indicating the centrality of healing to these nurses. We must let the lived experiences of these nurses guide us in what it means to be a concernful nurse. The nurses' stories must be shared as remarkable examples of interpersonal concerns in the modern healthcare world. Additionally, as technology increasingly plays a vital role in healthcare, educators must balance the need of technical competence with the art of healing. Finally, we are practically and ethically bound to attend to the holistic needs of dis-eased nurses.
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