The lived experiences of acute‐care bedside registered nurses caring for patients and their families with limited English proficiency: A silent shift

Aims and Objectives To explore the lived experiences of acute‐care bedside nurses caring for patients and their families with limited English proficiency. Background Approximately 8.6% of the total US population is considered limited English proficient. In the hospital setting, registered nurses provide the most direct contact with patients and their families. Effective communication between patients and healthcare professionals is essential when providing quality health care. There are only few published studies about registered nurses' experiences caring for patients with language barriers, but studies among nurses' experiences on patients with limited English proficiency and their families in an acute‐care setting have not been explored. Design A qualitative exploratory study was performed. Methods The phenomenology research approach provides the most meaningful ways to describe and understand the entirety of the bedside nurses' experiences. A convenience, purposive sample of 40 registered nurses who work in bedside care in a 380‐bed hospital in the western USA were interviewed. Each nurse had a minimum of three years of acute‐care experience. The sample size was determined by data saturation. Results Four themes emerged from the data of this research including: Desire to Communicate; Desire to Connect; Desire to Provide Care; and Desire to Provide Cultural Respect and Understanding. Conclusions Care of patients with limited English proficiency is a challenge to many nurses and other healthcare providers. This study reinforces the need to give acute‐care nurses a voice to share their experiences and ideas for solutions to the challenges they face in the care they provide. Findings from this study have the potential to identify clinically relevant concerns, barriers to communication, resources for effective communication, and needs or concerns of the bedside nurses when providing care. Relevance to clinical practice A look at the process and organisational system may suggest opportunities for improvement in support of the nurses' expressed desires to provide the care needed for patients with limited English proficiency.