Lived experience of Korean nurses caring for patients on maintenance haemodialysis

Abstract

This study could be helpful in enabling nursing students and/or nurses to understand the experience of caring and its meaning with respect to clients undergoing haemodialysis.

Working with patients suffering from chronic diseases can be a balancing act for health care professionals - a meta-synthesis of qualitative studies

“…It was not necessarily easy for HCPs to provide individualized care and recognize the person behind the diagnosis. HCPs tolerated being given inaccurate information from their patients, in order to establish and maintain contact and build positive relationships with them [28,37]. Other HCPs, in contrast, rarely asked for personal details from their patients, as they did not see the need to do so [21,29].…”

“…If the relationship was poor, it could become challenging for HCPs to provide individualized care. Nurses working with hemodialysis handled this by maintaining a professional and emotional distance from their patients, for example, by simply accepting the patients' demands; others felt pride when they successfully managed the more difficult relationships [28]. In some cases, HCPs decided to transfer the responsibility for the treatment of a patient to a colleague [23].…”

“…One goal was to establish positive relationships with the patients, gaining the patients' trust while also being decisive, flexible, capable, and qualified in their work. Even experienced nurses expressed a fear of being rejected by their patients [28]. Renal nurses were uncomfortable being closely observed by other patients in the dialysis wards where nurses' professional activities with one patient could be easily observed by other patients [28].…”

“…Even experienced nurses expressed a fear of being rejected by their patients [28]. Renal nurses were uncomfortable being closely observed by other patients in the dialysis wards where nurses' professional activities with one patient could be easily observed by other patients [28]. Having a positive relationship with patients was seen as especially important when doctors had to break the news to them about a worsening of their condition [30].…”

“…Positive patient outcomes also increased positive feelings. For nurses, this signified that their efforts in caring for their patients had an impact [28]. Feeling liked by one's patients also contributed to enhanced professional self-esteem.…”