An Ethnography on Daily Lives of Nurses in Emergency Departments

Abstract

Purpose: This ethnographic study was conducted to explore and understand the meaning of the daily life of nurses in emergency departments. Objectives for this study were to identify and describe the true nature of emergency room nurses' daily experience and create a theoretical model based on the findings. Methods: Data were collected through in-depth interviews and participants observation. These data were recorded and transcribed verbatim with consent of the informants, 10 nurses who had cared for patients in emergency rooms. Data were collected between November 2013 and October 2014. Interviews continued until no new information could be identified from transcripts. Data were analyzed using the taxonomic analysis method developed by Spradley. Results: Based on the data acquired from interviews, nurses' cultural domains were classified as 'extensity of emergency room nurses', 'temporality of emergency room nurses', 'relationships among emergency room nurses' and 'becoming an emergency room nurses'. Conclusion: The daily culture of emergency room nurses could be summarized as 'busy daily life amidst confusion'. However, many nurses boosted their self-esteem by taking care of patients' collaboration with fellow nurses. In other words, nurses in emergency room forms a dynamic culture and pursue professionalism, rather than a simple chaotic daily life culture.

Emergency Room Nurses’ Experiences in Person-Centred Care

“…It is speculated that, unlike ER patients, ICU patients have already been given the information on their condition and the treatment direction; thus, their need for emotional support remains strong because they are alone, without the accompaniment of the family, in an enclosed space. The ER is a place that patients visit due to various illnesses, sudden pain and accidents, and it is reported that, compared to medical staff, patients perceive their symptom or injury to be more severe and have high anxiety during ER visits [ 25 ]. In such a situation, patients want to be emotionally supported with respect to their current condition and information on the tests and processes they will undergo and the expected outcomes [ 26 ].…”