Difficulties and obstacles experienced by intensive care unit nurses during the prevention and care of pressure injuries: A qualitative study.

AIM: This study aimed to examine the difficulties and obstacles experienced by nurses working in intensive care units during the prevention and care of pressure injuries (ulcers). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A descriptive phenomenological study was designed, involving 13 nurses working in the intensive care unit of a hospital in Turkey. The data were collected through face-to-face interviews. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings were reported according to the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Studies criteria. RESULTS: Through the data analysis, an overall theme "Prevention and Care of Pressure Injuries" and three main themes, namely "Obstacles Encountered", "Impacts on The Nurses", and "Needs and Recommendations" were identified. CONCLUSION: This study identified institution-related issues (lack of resources, managers' attitudes, etc.), as well as lack of knowledge and training prevent the effective management of pressure injuries in intensive care units. The development of pressure injuries emotionally and professionally affects nurses. The primary needs of nurses were found to be equipment and material support, personnel training, positive attitudes of institution managers, and the establishment of a wound care unit within the hospital. The following recommendations were made based on the obtained findings: practical training should be given to all intensive care unit teams based on the latest information, modern, practical, diverse, and sufficient amount of equipment for pressure injuries should be provided, personnel shortage should be eliminated, institution managers should exhibit solution-oriented attitudes toward nurses rather than accusatory approaches, and a wound care unit should be established within the hospital. This study was limited to the nurses working in the ICU of a state hospital in Turkey. Since the study was carried out in a single hospital and due to the personal characteristics of the participants, the findings cannot be generalized to all ICU nurses and healthcare institutions.

Perinatal death witnessed by midwifery students during clinical practice and their coping methods: A qualitative study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the perinatal death experience of midwifery students during clinical practice and their coping methods. DESIGN: A qualitative, descriptive, phenomenological design was used. SETTINGS: The study was conducted with midwifery students. PARTICIPANTS: The study was conducted with 14 midwifery students at a state university in northern Turkey between April and July 2023. METHODS: Perinatal death experiences that students witnessed during clinical practice and their coping methods were analyzed using the individual in-depth interview technique. Data were analyzed using the thematic analysis method. The results obtained from the study were reported according to the COREQ criteria. FINDINGS: As a result of the analysis, four main themes: (1) the perception of the concept of death, (2) the first encounter with death, (3) methods of coping with death, and (4) students' suggestions were elicited from the data. Students who witnessed perinatal death were affected by this situation, experienced negative emotions, and resorted to different methods to cope with their negative feelings about death. CONCLUSIONS: Midwifery students who witnessed perinatal death were negatively affected emotionally and professionally; therefore, education and policy-oriented regulations are needed to cope with perinatal death.