Nurses' experiences of the hospitalisation of their own children for acute illnesses

"Juggle the different hats we wear": enacted strategies for negotiating boundaries in overlapping relationships

Despite agreement that teaching on professional boundaries is needed, the design of health profession curricula is challenged by a lack of research on how boundaries are maintained and disagreement on where boundaries should be drawn. Curricula constrained by these challenges can leave graduates without formal preparation for practice conditions. Dual role or overlapping relationships are an example: they continue to be taught as boundary crossings amidst mounting evidence that they must be routinely navigated in small, interconnected communities. In this study, we examined how physicians are navigating overlapping personal (non-sexual) and professional relationships with the goal to inform teaching and curricula on professional boundaries. Following constructivist grounded theory methodology, 22 physicians who had returned to their rural, northern and/or remote hometown in British Columbia, Canada or who had lived and practised in a such a community for decades were interviewed in iterative cycles informed by analysis. We identified four strategies described by physicians for regulating multiple roles within overlapping relationships: (a) signalling the appropriate role for the current context; (b) separating roles by redirecting an interaction to an appropriate context; (c) switching roles by pushing the appropriate role forward into the context and pulling other roles into the background; and (d) suspending an interfering role by ending a relationship. Negotiating boundaries within overlapping relationships may involve monitoring role clarity and role alignment, while avoiding role conflict. The enacted role regulation strategies could be critically assessed within teaching discussions on professional boundaries and also analyzed through further ethics research.

Critical Care Nurses' Experiences During the Illness of Family Members: A Qualitative Study

Introduction

A loved one's hospitalization in a critical care unit is a traumatic experience for families. However, because of their status and professional competence, a family member who is also a critical care nurse has additional obstacles and often long-term consequences.

Objectives

To describe the experiences of critical care nurse-family members when a loved one is admitted to a critical care unit at the Hotel-Dieu de France hospital.

Methods

A qualitative path based on van Manen's hermeneutic phenomenology combining both descriptive and interpretive models were adopted.

Results

The lived experience of critical care nurses in providing care for their family members admitted into the same critical care were summarized in five themes. Nurses were torn between roles, consisting of confounding roles, their registered nurse status, and watchfulness. The lived experience of critical care nurses in providing care for their family members admitted into the same critical care was summarized into specialized knowledge that included a double-edged sword of seeking information and difficulty delivering the information. Critical nurses compete for expectations, including those placed on self and family members, resulting in emotional and personal sacrifice while gaining insight into the experiences.

Conclusions

Critical care nurse-family members have a unique experience compared to the rest of the family, necessitating specialized care and attention. Increased awareness among healthcare providers could be a start in the right direction.

Work stress in nurses returning to tertiary a general hospitals in China after the delivery of their second child: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the current situation of work stress in nurses returning to work in Chinese tertiary A general hospitals after giving birth to their second child and to analyze influencing factors.

METHODS

From January to April 2021, 448 nurses returning to work after the birth of their second child, working in 23 general hospitals in China, were investigated and completed the postpartum work stress scale and self-rating depression scale.

RESULTS

The total work stress score of returning nurses after giving birth to their second child was 90.40 ± 18.29, and the dimension with the highest score was the role commitment of the mother. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that family monthly income, turnover intention, time since returning to work, age of the first child, and depressive symptoms were the influencing factors on work stress.

CONCLUSION

It is important to reduce the work stress of the nurses returning to work after the birth of their second child. Nursing managers should pay attention to this group of postpartum nurses and formulate targeted measures to alleviate their work stress.

Modes of Informed Caring: Perspectives of Health Professionals Who Are Mothers of Adult Children with Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a global concern, and, this paper, describes the caring roles of health professionals who are mothers of adult children with schizophrenia. A thematic analysis of data from a doctoral study identified a blending of expertise into an informed care model. Caring roles included: constant carer; coordinator carer; watchful bystander carer; and life coach carer. Previous research has not explored these dual roles. This paper elucidates their responsive approaches and contributions to mothering and caregiving roles. Informed by a fusion of professional and mothering knowledges, their insights into mental health care have been forged by their experiences and is an untapped resource.

Experiences of healthcare professionals of having their significant other admitted to an acute care facility: a qualitative systematic review

BACKGROUND

Most healthcare professionals at some time will experience having a significant other admitted to an acute care hospital. The knowledge and understanding that these individuals possess because of their professional practice can potentially alter this experience. Expectations of staff and other family members (FMs) can potentially increase the burden on these health professionals. All FMs of patients should have their needs and expectations considered; however, this review specifically addresses what may be unique for healthcare professionals.

OBJECTIVES

To synthesize the qualitative evidence on the experiences of healthcare professionals when their significant others are admitted to an acute care hospital.

INCLUSION CRITERIA TYPES OF PARTICIPANTS

The current review considered studies reporting the experiences of healthcare professionals, specifically registered nurses (RNs) and physicians.

PHENOMENA OF INTEREST

The experiences of RNs and physicians when a significant other is admitted to an acute care facility.

TYPES OF STUDIES

Qualitative studies that have examined the phenomenon of interest including, but not limited to, designs such as phenomenology and grounded theory.

SEARCH STRATEGY

The search strategy aimed to find both published and unpublished studies with no date restrictions. Only studies published in English were considered for inclusion in this review.

METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY

Qualitative papers selected for retrieval were assessed using the standardized critical appraisal instrument from the Joanna Briggs Institute Qualitative Assessment and Review Instrument (JBI-QARI).

DATA EXTRACTION

Data were extracted from the seven included papers using the standardized data extraction tool from JBI-QARI.

DATA SYNTHESIS

The data were synthesized using the JBI approach to meta-synthesis by meta-aggregation using the JBI-QARI software and methods.

RESULTS

Seven studies of moderate quality were included in the review. Forty findings were extracted and aggregated to create 10 categories, from which five synthesized findings were derived: CONCLUSION: In contrast to "lay" FMs, health professionals possess additional knowledge and understanding that alter their perceptions and expectations, and the expectations others have of them. This knowledge and understanding can be an advantage in navigating a complex health system but may also result in an additional burden such as role conflict.