Worries and concerns experienced by nurse specialists during inter-hospital transports of critically ill patients: a critical incident study

Abstract

Objectives: Inter-hospital patient transports are required around the clock. During these transports it is the responsibility of the accompanying nurse specialists to ensure their patient's safety, while at the same time providing optimal nursing care in an unusual and often stressful situation. The aim of this study was to explore and describe the nurse specialists' cause of worries and concerns (WaC) and how they manage these.

Design: An explorative and qualitative design based on the critical incident technique was used.

Data collection: Interviews were conducted with 30 nurse specialists within the fields of anaesthetic, intensive and pre-hospital care in the south of Sweden.

Results: WaC felt by the nurse specialists were based on being unable to influence their work situation, or carry out their tasks as expected. Their responses to these unusual situations were resolved by using internal (acquired knowledge and experience) and external resources (consulting colleagues having different competences).

Conclusion: A safe working environment improves the possibility to deliver a satisfactory work performance. Shared experiences and communication between colleagues should be encouraged; teamwork should be enhanced by the implementation of local and national training courses, and unambiguous work guidelines should be given.