The lived experiences of operating room nurses working during night and weekend hours
Format Type
Plenary
Format Type
Paper
Start Date
14-1-2021 3:00 PM
End Date
14-1-2021 3:20 PM
Abstract
Nursing plays a vital role in the care and safety of patients. Compared to other healthcare disciplines nursing spends the greatest amount of time at the bedside. As healthcare continues to evolve nursing will be an active participant in effecting the delivery of patient care. However, there is a paucity of research focused specifically on experiences of nurses caring for patients. Recent research explores the phenomenon of the “weekend effect.” This phenomenon suggests variations in patient outcomes on weekends and nights (off-peak hours) compared to weekdays. The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to understand the meaning of the experiences of the nurses who provide care during the off-peak hours. All participants were over the age of 18 and worked as circulating nurses during night and weekend hours at hospitals around the United States. The study used Jean Watson’s Theory of caring as a theoretical framework and Max VanManen’s research method to complete the research process. Eleven participants were interviewed for this study. One research question guided the study. Data was collected via in-person interviews (semi-structured) as well as through remote video call applications and telephone. Data were analyzed and prepared for coding using Van Manen’s research method to identify patterns and themes. Several themes developed from this study, the most prominent was self-care neglect. Other emerging themes focused on the delivery of nursing care; we work as a team, No one to rely on, being responsible for everything, safety is the primary concern, and limited resources and support. Findings from the study have implications for the discipline of nursing, through leadership, education, practice and research.
Keywords
caring, operating room nursing, off-peak nursing
The lived experiences of operating room nurses working during night and weekend hours
Nursing plays a vital role in the care and safety of patients. Compared to other healthcare disciplines nursing spends the greatest amount of time at the bedside. As healthcare continues to evolve nursing will be an active participant in effecting the delivery of patient care. However, there is a paucity of research focused specifically on experiences of nurses caring for patients. Recent research explores the phenomenon of the “weekend effect.” This phenomenon suggests variations in patient outcomes on weekends and nights (off-peak hours) compared to weekdays. The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to understand the meaning of the experiences of the nurses who provide care during the off-peak hours. All participants were over the age of 18 and worked as circulating nurses during night and weekend hours at hospitals around the United States. The study used Jean Watson’s Theory of caring as a theoretical framework and Max VanManen’s research method to complete the research process. Eleven participants were interviewed for this study. One research question guided the study. Data was collected via in-person interviews (semi-structured) as well as through remote video call applications and telephone. Data were analyzed and prepared for coding using Van Manen’s research method to identify patterns and themes. Several themes developed from this study, the most prominent was self-care neglect. Other emerging themes focused on the delivery of nursing care; we work as a team, No one to rely on, being responsible for everything, safety is the primary concern, and limited resources and support. Findings from the study have implications for the discipline of nursing, through leadership, education, practice and research.
Comments
The original abstract was submitted for presentation at the january 2020 conference, but the research was not completed in time for presentation. The study is now completed and defended and ready for presentation.