IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/wly/jocnur/v29y2020i13-14p2441-2454.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

“Please mind the gap”: A secondary analysis of discomfort and comfort in intensive care

Author

Listed:
  • Helene Berntzen
  • Ida Torunn Bjørk
  • Ann‐Marie Storsveen
  • Hilde Wøien

Abstract

Aims and objectives To explore in depth discomfort in intensive care as experienced by patients and attended to by critical care nurses. Background Discomfort in illness is complex and persistent, and its alleviation is a challenge for nurses working in intensive care units (ICU). In previous studies, we showed that ICU patients described little actual pain but suffer from much discomfort. Critical care nurses had a systematic approach to the treatment of pain, but were more haphazard in dealing with other types of discomfort. Design Secondary qualitative analysis of data from two previous exploratory studies. Methods Content analysis was used on existing data from 28 interviews with ICU patients, and 16 field notes and interviews with critical care nurses. Kolcaba's Comfort Theory was applied for further analysis. The COREQ checklist was used. Results Three themes, “Being deprived of a functioning body”, “Being deprived of a functioning mind” and “Being deprived of integrity” characterised the discomfort experienced by ICU patients. The nurses appeared to attend to all areas of discomfort expressed by patients. In need of, and providing acknowledgment and alleviation became a common overarching theme. We identified a comfort gap caused by the discrepancy between the patients’ needs and the nurses’ achievements in fulfilling these needs. Conclusions A gap exists between ICU patients’ comfort needs and nurses’ achievements in fulfilling these, indicating that discomfort currently is an inevitable part of the critical illness trajectory. Increased knowledge about how the brain is affected in ICU patients and more systematic approaches to assessing comfort needs and enhancing comfort may support nurses in fulfilling patient needs and possibly diminish the existing comfort gap. Relevance for clinical practice An increased understanding of the complex experience of discomfort in ICU patients may bring about more systematic approaches to enhance comfort and direct for education and further research.

Suggested Citation

  • Helene Berntzen & Ida Torunn Bjørk & Ann‐Marie Storsveen & Hilde Wøien, 2020. "“Please mind the gap”: A secondary analysis of discomfort and comfort in intensive care," Journal of Clinical Nursing, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(13-14), pages 2441-2454, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:jocnur:v:29:y:2020:i:13-14:p:2441-2454
    DOI: 10.1111/jocn.15260
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.15260
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/jocn.15260?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Helle Svenningsen & Ingrid Egerod & Pia Dreyer, 2016. "Strange and scary memories of the intensive care unit: a qualitative, longitudinal study inspired by Ricoeur's interpretation theory," Journal of Clinical Nursing, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 25(19-20), pages 2807-2815, October.
    2. Paul T E Cusack, 2020. "On Pain," Biomedical Journal of Scientific & Technical Research, Biomedical Research Network+, LLC, vol. 31(3), pages 24253-24254, October.
    3. Helene Berntzen & Ida Torunn Bjørk & Hilde Wøien, 2018. "“Pain relieved, but still struggling”—Critically ill patients experiences of pain and other discomforts during analgosedation," Journal of Clinical Nursing, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(1-2), pages 223-234, January.
    4. Ilme Aro & Anna‐Maija Pietilä & Katri Vehviläinen‐Julkunen, 2012. "Needs of adult patients in intensive care units of Estonian hospitals: a questionnaire survey," Journal of Clinical Nursing, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 21(13-14), pages 1847-1858, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Daniel Niederer & Juliane Mueller, 2020. "Sustainability effects of motor control stabilisation exercises on pain and function in chronic nonspecific low back pain patients: A systematic review with meta-analysis and meta-regression," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(1), pages 1-21, January.
    2. Sana Sadiq & Khadija Anasse & Najib Slimani, 2022. "The impact of mobile phones on high school students: connecting the research dots," Technium Social Sciences Journal, Technium Science, vol. 30(1), pages 252-270, April.
    3. Jitka Vseteckova, 2020. "Psychological Therapy for ICT Literate Older Adults in the Time of COVID-19 - Perceptions on the Acceptability of Online Versus Face to Face Versions of a Mindfulness for Later Life Group," Biomedical Journal of Scientific & Technical Research, Biomedical Research Network+, LLC, vol. 31(1), pages 23912-23916, October.
    4. Khalid Ahmed Al-Ansari & Ahmet Faruk Aysan, 2021. "More than ten years of Blockchain creation: How did we use the technology and which direction is the research heading? [Plus de dix ans de création Blockchain : Comment avons-nous utilisé la techno," Working Papers hal-03343048, HAL.
    5. Ling, Gabriel Hoh Teck & Suhud, Nur Amiera binti Md & Leng, Pau Chung & Yeo, Lee Bak & Cheng, Chin Tiong & Ahmad, Mohd Hamdan Haji & Matusin, AK Mohd Rafiq AK, 2021. "Factors Influencing Asia-Pacific Countries’ Success Level in Curbing COVID-19: A Review Using a Social–Ecological System (SES) Framework," SocArXiv b9f2w, Center for Open Science.
    6. Benedict E. DeDominicis, 2021. "Multinational Enterprises And Economic Nationalism: A Strategic Analysis Of Culture," Global Journal of Business Research, The Institute for Business and Finance Research, vol. 15(1), pages 19-66.
    7. Robert J. R. Elliott & Ingmar Schumacher & Cees Withagen, 2020. "Suggestions for a Covid-19 Post-Pandemic Research Agenda in Environmental Economics," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 76(4), pages 1187-1213, August.
    8. Rafał Krupiński, 2020. "Virtual Reality System and Scientific Visualisation for Smart Designing and Evaluating of Lighting," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(20), pages 1-17, October.
    9. Werner Hölzl & Michael Böheim & Klaus S. Friesenbichler & Agnes Kügler & Thomas Leoni, 2021. "Staatliche Hilfsmaßnahmen für Unternehmen in der COVID-19-Krise. Eine begleitende Analyse operativer Aspekte und Unternehmenseinschätzungen," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 66624, April.
    10. Thorbecke, Willem & Chen, Chen & Salike, Nimesh, 2021. "China’s exports in a protectionist world," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    11. Óscar Chiva-Bartoll & Honorato Morente-Oria & Francisco Tomás González-Fernández & Pedro Jesús Ruiz-Montero, 2020. "Anxiety and Bodily Pain in Older Women Participants in a Physical Education Program. A Multiple Moderated Mediation Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-12, May.
    12. Gigi Foster, 2020. "The behavioural economics of government responses to COVID-19," Journal of Behavioral Economics for Policy, Society for the Advancement of Behavioral Economics (SABE), vol. 4(S3), pages 11-43, December.
    13. Reza Salajegheh & Edward C Nemergut & Terran M Rice & Roy Joseph & Siny Tsang & Bethany M Sarosiek & C Paige Muthusubramanian & Katelyn M Hipwell & Kate B Horton & Bhiken I Naik, 2020. "Impact of a perioperative oral opioid substitution protocol during the nationwide intravenous opioid shortage: A single center, interrupted time series with segmented regression analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(6), pages 1-13, June.
    14. Jaroslav Flegr & Radim Kuba & Robin Kopecký, 2020. "Rhesus-minus phenotype as a predictor of sexual desire and behavior, wellbeing, mental health, and fecundity," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(7), pages 1-11, July.
    15. Tonata Dengeingei & Laura Uusiku & Olivia N Tuhadeleni & Alice Lifalaza, 2020. "Assessing Knowledge and Practice Regarding the Management of Dysmenorrhea Among Students at University of Namibia Rundu Campus," Global Journal of Health Science, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 12(9), pages 105-105, August.
    16. Craig C Kage & Mohsen Akbari-Shandiz & Mary H Foltz & Rebekah L Lawrence & Taycia L Brandon & Nathaniel E Helwig & Arin M Ellingson, 2020. "Validation of an automated shape-matching algorithm for biplane radiographic spine osteokinematics and radiostereometric analysis error quantification," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(2), pages 1-15, February.
    17. Piotr Raźniak & György Csomós & Sławomir Dorocki & Anna Winiarczyk-Raźniak, 2021. "Exploring the Shifting Geographical Pattern of the Global Command-and-Control Function of Cities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(22), pages 1-15, November.
    18. Felbermayr, Gabriel & Morgan, T. Clifton & Syropoulos, Constantinos & Yotov, Yoto V., 2021. "Understanding economic sanctions: Interdisciplinary perspectives on theory and evidence," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 135(C).
    19. Michael Dolph & Gabriel Tremblay & Hoyee Leong, 2021. "Cost Effectiveness of Triplet Selinexor-Bortezomib-Dexamethasone (XVd) in Previously Treated Multiple Myeloma (MM) Based on Results from the Phase III BOSTON Trial," PharmacoEconomics, Springer, vol. 39(11), pages 1309-1325, November.
    20. Zack Cooper & Joseph J. Doyle Jr. & John A. Graves & Jonathan Gruber, 2022. "Do Higher-Priced Hospitals Deliver Higher-Quality Care?," NBER Working Papers 29809, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:wly:jocnur:v:29:y:2020:i:13-14:p:2441-2454. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://doi.org/10.1111/(ISSN)1365-2702 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.