Waraporn Kongsuwan

Thai nurses' experience of caring for persons with life-sustaining technologies in intensive care settings: A phenomenological study

Technological competency as caring in nursing is grounded in the viewpoint that health care technologies are used to know persons. This study described the experiences of eight Thai nurses caring for persons with life-sustaining technologies in adult intensive care settings. Using individual semi-structured interviews, Van Manens hermeneutic phenomenological approach was used to analyse the data. Nine thematic categories formed the description of the experience of caring for. The experience of caring for is described as valuing competency to care despite differing insecurities in the use of technology. Influenced by relationships and compassion, the risk that technology prevented an appreciation of persons as wholes is embodied in the encouraging collaboration of fostering time to care regardless of being in a restricted space surrounded with technology. Locsins theory of Technological Competency as Caring in Nursing serves as theoretical lens through which findings are discussed. These findings should assist nurses achieve quality human care in intensive care settings.

Aesthetic expressions illuminating the lived experience of Thai ICU nurses caring for persons who had a peaceful death.

This article, through art and aesthetic expression, illustrates and illuminates the experiences of persons caring for those who had peaceful deaths in intensive care units (ICUs) in southern Thailand. Aesthetic expression, categorized as a descriptive thematic experience, enhanced the appreciation of the experiences, which has implications for holistic end-of-life care.

Thai nursing students' experiences when attending real life situations involving cardiac life support: A Phenomenological study

BACKGROUND During the last few years, manikin simulations have been used for cardiac life support training procedures in medical and nursing education. However, some nursing students have experienced attending real events involving cardiac life support during their clinical practice. OBJECTIVE This study aims to describe the meaning of experience of Thai nursing students when attending real situations of cardiac life support. METHODS A hermeneutic phenomenological study was used. Third and fourth year bachelor of nursing students at a university in the southern region of Thailand who had the experience of attending real situation of cardiac life support were purposely selected as the informants. The data were generated from individual in-depth interviews with eighteen nursing students. Van Manens approach was used to analyze the data. Trustworthiness was established using the criteria set out by Lincoln and Guba. RESULTS Essential themes situated in the context of the four existential grounds of body, time, space, and relation emerged. These were: being worried and fearful while desiring to participate in cardiac life support procedures; enhancing self value; knowing each moment is meaningful for ones life; having time to understand the reality of life; being in a small corner; appreciating such opportunities and the encouragement given by nurses and the healthcare team; and feeling empathy. CONCLUSIONS Besides learning in classrooms and practicing in labs, experiencing real situations is beneficial for nursing students in learning cardiac life support. This study provides information that can be used for clinical teaching management in the topics relating to cardiac life support.

Knowing the occasion of a peaceful death in intensive care units in Thailand.

The purpose of this study was to describe how nurses know the occasion of a peaceful death. The data were generated from individual in-depth interviews with ten nurses who practised in adult intensive care units in the southern region of Thailand. Using a content analysis method, four processes of knowing the occasion of a peaceful death were isolated. They were visual knowing, technological knowing, intuitive knowing, and relational knowing.The clinical implications of these processes provide opportunities for nurses to practise the best end-of-life care during a critical time in a patients life.This study also strengthens cross-cultural nursing during end-of-life care in high-technology settings, such as the intensive care unit.

Ugandan Nurses’ Experience of Caring for Persons Dying From Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever

Written narratives of 15 Ugandan nurses’ experience of caring for persons dying from Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever were analyzed using van Manen’s (1990) phenomenological approach. From these narratives emerged the description of caring for persons as affirmation of knowing and the uncertainty of living life while consciously waiting and protecting self through isolation from family and society, and the selfless dedication of giving one’s life for others. Within this description is attributed the foci on health promotion, illness prevention, and early intervention as recommendations for effective nursing in community wellness practice.

Comfort in Patients Receiving Mechanical Ventilation: A Literature Review

Background: Comfort in patients receiving mechanical ventilation can be disturbed for many reasons. This condition may lead to negative impacts due to unmet comfort needs in patients with mechanical ventilation. Kolcaba’s comfort theory described that patients’ comfort may be enhanced, if the needs of comfort can be met in four contexts of comfort, including physical, psychospiritual, environmental, and sociocultural comfort. Therefore, there is a need to identify causative factors that may disturb comfort during mechanical ventilation and intervention to promote comfort while receiving mechanical ventilation. Objective: This study aimed at reviewing the literature concerning comfort in patients receiving mechanical ventilation. Methods: A literature review was conducted by analyzing 42 scholarly papers from year 2002 to 2016. The data were searched through Scopus, ProQuest, Elsevier/Science Direct, CINAHL, and PubMed based on PICO questions with keywords; ‘comfort’, ‘discomfort’, ‘comfort need’ ‘patient’, ‘mechanical ventilation’, and ‘ventilator’. Relevant articles were appraised following the recommendation of the Joanna briggs institute for evidence-based nursing. Results: Overall, 116 articles were retrieved and 42 articles met the inclusion criteria. The results presented comfort needs of mechanically ventilated patients in physical, psychospiritual, environmental, and sociocultural contexts, and interventions to promote comfort during mechanical ventilation were divided to the following three categories, pharmacological interventions, nursing care interventions, and complementary and alternative interventions. Conclusion and Recommendation: The knowledge from this literature review can be useful for nurses and other healthcare providers to develop quality comfort care for patients dependent on mechanical ventilation.

Comparative Examination between the Perceived Inventory of Technological Competency as Caring in Nursing (PITCCN) and the Technological Competency as Caring in Nursing Instrument (TCCNI)

Background: Technological Competency as Caring in Nursing Instrument (TCCNI) was developed by Rozzano Locsin (2013) to determine the expression of “technological competency” as caring in nursing among practicing nurses. While the TCCNI was translated into other languages, no instrument measuring the ‘technological competency as caring in nursing’ among Japanese nurses was developed and tested. Considering culture and social background influencing measurement of the phenomena, Kato et al. (2016) re-envisioned the TCCNI to focus on caring behaviors of nurses in acute care settings. The Perceived Inventory of Technological Competency of Caring in Nursing (PITCCN) was developed. Aim: The aim of this study is to perform comparative examination between the PITCCN and the TCCNI. Methods: The authors developed the Japanese version of the TCCNI from its original instrument subjecting this to reverse translation using a professional English-to-Japanese-to-English translator who clearly confirmed the accuracy of the translations. In this study, the contents of the item configurations were analyzed and discussed regarding instruments, and the summary of the similarities and differences among researchers who had been involved in the research of caring. The difference between the item configuration of PITCCN and TCCNI was clearly illustrated by a comparative table, and in the case where there was no corresponding item, it was left blank. Results: The commonality between the TCCNI and PITCCN was the holistic focus on patients using information obtained through technologies. Different question items were included to provide highquality outcomes for the PITCCN. Conclusion: Considered useful in order to perform high quality practice in using technology, and to provide high quality nursing. Measured Technological Competency as Caring in Nursing might be able to utilizing for in-service education of hospitals or formalized education in nursing universities.

Evolution of Caring for Dying Patients in Intensive Care Units in the United States from 1960-1980

Abstract This study examines the evolution of caring for dying patients in intensive care units in the United States from 1960-1980. Historical research method was used. Data were obtained from electronic databases, journals, textbooks, and interviews of 3 intensive care nurses. The 3 major themes were: lack of formal preparation for care of the dying; increased workload and stress; and becoming more concerned about quality of end-of-life care. Nurses and healthcare professionals could use this knowledge as a source to compare and develop their future practices in care for dying patients in the intensive care units.