Paper
Friday, July 23, 2004
An Exploratory Study of Nurses’ Experiences of Caring for Patients in Pain and How These Experiences Influence Their Decisions When Administering Analgesia to Patients
Kathleen Neenan, RGN, RSCN, RNT, Dip, Mgt, BNS, MSc, School of Nursing and Midwifery Studies, School of Nursing and Midwifery Studies, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| Learning Objective #1: Gain a deeper understanding of the meaning of nurses' experiences when caring for patients in pain |
| Learning Objective #2: Identify the complexities of caring for patients in pain
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Aim: The aim of the study is to explore the life experiences that influence nurses in their decisions to administer PRN (pro re rata) analgesia to patients. Caring for a patient in pain may be viewed as an independent nursing action, however it requires complex interactions with a number of people prior to its performance. Research into the effect of patients’ pain on nurses may identify the interdependence of people in pain and of the nurses who care for them. The researcher will attempt to shed some light on this complex subject by exploring the effects of nurse’s life experiences in determinations they make about and during the administration of PRN analgesia. Design: This phenomenological study explored the life experiences of nurses when caring for postoperative patients in pain. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from a purposive sample of ten qualified nurses. Research ethical issues related to informed consent and confidentiality were addressed. Colazzi’s (1978) method facilitated data analysis. To establish trustworthiness in this research credibility, fittingness and audibility are the criteria that are used. Findings: This research serves to illuminates some of the ways nurses react to patients with pain. The findings revealed that a central aspect of caring for patients in pain was administering analgesia. However they also identified other aspect of caring for the patient that they used in conjunction to analgesia. Themes that emerged were caring, empathy, presence, touch, trust, nurse patient relationship, teamwork and life experiences. Conclusions: This study provides an insight to understanding the experiences of nurses caring for patients in pain which can possibly contribute to a broader knowledge of how the influence of these experiences affects nurse’s management of postoperative pain as well as facilitating future research efforts. .
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Sigma Theta Tau International
July 22-24, 2004