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Thesis/Dissertation Information
- Degree Disciplines:
- Nursing
Notes
- Abstract:
- Background: Pain is the most common presenting complaint in emergency departments (EDs) and the primary reason patients seek medical care. Improving inadequate pain control has been identified as a critical goal in emergency health care. As patients’ primary health care advocates, ED nurses play a vital role in resolving the problem of under treated pain in their patients. Purpose: To develop a grounded theory on the process ED nurses use to manage adult patients’ pain and to increase understanding of how this process impacts on patients’ pain treatment. Research Question: What is the process ED nurses use when managing adult patients’ pain? Theoretical Framework: Grounded theory and the philosophical foundation of symbolic interactionism guided this study of human processes on ED nurses’ management of ED adult patients’ pain. Symbolic interactionism focuses on meanings people attach to events experienced in their everyday life. Subsequent actions are a direct result of interpretations of these meanings. Grounded theory methodology examines people’s actions/ interactions with the goal of theory generation grounded in data gathered from people in social settings in which these phenomena occur. Methods: Participants were recruited from the membership of the local emergency nurses’ association and six hospital based EDs in Northeast Florida. Fifteen ED nurses were individually interviewed by the researcher. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using open, axial, and selective coding. Results: The central core category that emerged highlighted ED environments as inconducive to demonstrating caring when relating to adult patients with pain. Three broad categories supported this central core category: (a) feeling overwhelmed, (b) perceived non-cohesiveness of the health care team, and (c) frustration. Each broad category was supported by three subcategories. Feeling Overwhelmed included constant prioritizing, lack of staff, and lack of control. Perceived non-cohesiveness of the health care team included nurses, administrators and ED doctors. Frustration involved abuse of EDs, pain complexity, and unrealistic patient expectations. Conclusions: Interventions and solutions need to be explored to improve ED nurses’ ability to manage adult ED patients’ pain adequately and to demonstrate caring while doing so. Implications for accomplishing this goal clearly exist in nursing education, practice, research, and public policy.
- Thesis:
- Thesis (Ph.D.)--Barry University, 2009.
- Bibliography:
- Includes bibliographical references (leaves 118-131).
Record Information
- Source Institution:
- Barry University
- Holding Location:
- Barry University Archives and Special Collections
- Rights Management:
- Copyright Cheryl L. Bergman. Permission granted to Barry University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
- Resource Identifier:
- RT120.E4 B47 2009_BergmanCheryl ( BU-Local )
- Classification:
- RT120.E4 B47 2009 ( lcc )
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