The Culture of Nurses in a Critical Care Unit

Abstract

Critical care nurses have to adapt to a fast-paced and stressful environment by functioning within their own culture. The objective of this study was to explore and describe the culture of critical care nurses with the purpose of facilitating recognition of wholeness in critical care nurses. The study had a qualitative, exploratory, descriptive, and contextual design. The ethnographic study included data triangulation of field notes written during 12 months of ethnographic observations, 13 interviews from registered nurses, and three completed diaries. Coding and analysis of data revealed patterns of behavior and interaction. The culture of critical care nurses was identified through patterns of patient adoption, armor display, despondency because of the demands to adjust, sibling-like teamwork, and non-support from management and medical doctors. An understanding of the complexity of these patterns of behavior and interaction within the critical care nursing culture is essential for transformation in the practice of critical care nursing.

Patients' perceptions of their experiences with nurse-patient communication in oncology settings: A focused ethnographic study

“…Agreement on the major themes was reached through extensive iterative discussions among the authors. Areas of consistency across the subthemes were sought to confirm the major themes that provided the best description of the culture being studied [ 48 ]. There was also the triangulation of data from field notes written during ethnographic observations, transcribed interviews of nurse-patient communication during procedural care, interviews with patient participants, and a document review.…”

The Perceived Cultural Barriers to Effective Communication Towards Patient Among Non-Saudi Registered Nurses of a Public Hospital, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

“…Respondents in the current study reported that a lack of participation in decision-making processes is a factor that influences nurse-patient communication. Minimal chances to engage in making decisions and consequent resentment and feelings of isolation have also been reported elsewhere in the literature (Scholtz et al, Nel, Poggenpoel, & Myburgh, 2016). Poor nurse-doctor connection can result in the loss of professional dignity, along with a drop in the quality of care (Stievano et al, 2012).…”

Nursing attitudes towards continuous capnographic monitoring of floor patients

“…A nurse may develop negative attitudes towards capnography if it is perceived as a source of conflict between the nurse and patient. The interdependent relationship between critical care nurses and their patients is of high value as a source of identity and job satisfaction for nurses 26 ; any threat to that relationship would be expected to contribute to nurses’ motivation to adopt a practice.…”