Lived experience of patients in ICU after cardiac surgery: A phenomenological study.

BACKGROUND: Cardiac surgery (CS) patients spend a significant amount of time in the intensive care unit (ICU). This event can be very overwhelming, with an intense emotional impact, causing vulnerability and a sense of helplessness in patients. Currently, the in-depth description of the ICU stay experience from a patient's own perspective is little studied, especially in the CS setting and using a qualitative approach in Italy. AIMS: This study aimed to describe CS patients' lived experiences. METHODS: A qualitative phenomenological study was conducted between October 2018 and December 2019 using the interpretative phenomenological analysis approach. RESULTS: Eleven patients were interviewed during the months after discharge from the ICU. Four main themes emerged from the analysis of the interviews: (a) will not wake up anymore; (b) endless time in ICU; (c) something keeps me from breathing; and (d) "anchor in the storm." Results confirm the negative experience of patients in the ICU, mainly because of the extubating procedure. Nurses were found to play a key role in decisions, supporting and protecting patients from the psychological stress related to the ICU stay. CONCLUSION: This is the first study capturing ICU patients' lived experiences after a CS intervention with the use of interpretative phenomenology in Italy. Further investigations are warranted to systematically identify which approaches or strategies are essential to support these patients in the Italian context. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Our study's results could be useful for tailored care delivery to meet the real needs of Italian patients in the ICU after CS and, consequently, improve the quality of nursing care and patients' outcomes.

A multi-phase study for the development of a self-efficacy measuring scale for ostomy care nursing management.

AIM: To develop and psychometrically test a self-efficacy scale for ostomy care nursing management. DESIGN: This study adopted a multi-method and multi-phase design. METHOD: Phase 1 of the study was comprised of the developmental tasks, where items were generated based on the emergent themes from literature. The items were then discussed with a panel of experts. Phase 2 focused on the validation process of the scale, where its content validity, construct and concurrent validity, and its internal consistency were assessed. The validation process was conducted between January 2018 - January 2019. RESULTS: The final version of the self-efficacy scale in ostomy care nursing management encompasses 24 items in three domains, namely the clinical assessment domain, the education and relationship domain, and the teamwork domain. The scale showed the evidence of face and content validity, adequate construct and concurrent validity, and adequate internal consistency. CONCLUSION: The developed scale can be used in clinical and educational research. IMPACT: This study presents the development and validation of the first valid and reliable self-reporting measurement for nurses' self-efficacy in ostomy care nursing management. Self-efficacy ostomy care nursing management encompasses 24 items and three domains, which are clinical assessment, education and relationship, and teamwork. This research will have an impact on nursing education, as it addresses the need for a specific self-efficacy assessment of ostomy care nursing management. Self-efficacy ostomy care nursing management will have an impact on nurses and patients, as it can be used to improve nurses' self-efficacy and clinical outcomes for patients in ostomy care.