Experiences of Emergency Nurses in Traumatic Patient Care: A Phenomenological Study

Traumatic patient care in emergency settings is a complex, multidimensional experience for nurses, encompassing emotional, physical, and professional challenges, as well as individual coping processes and systemic influences. This study aimed to reveal the essence of emergency nurses' lived experiences in caring for traumatic patients.

The study was conducted using a descriptive phenomenological design. Data were collected through semi-structured, in-depth individual interviews with 15 emergency nurses working in a single secondary-level public hospital in Sinop, Türkiye, between January and March 2026. Participants were selected using criterion sampling. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using Colaizzi's 7-step phenomenological analysis method.

Five main themes and 16 subthemes were identified: (1) Making Sense of Trauma, (2) Emotional and Physical Reactions, (3) Transformation in Professional Identity, (4) Individual Coping Processes, and (5) Institutional and Systemic Barriers. The findings showed that nurses experienced traumatic patient care not merely as a clinical duty, but as a multidimensional experience associated with confronting vulnerability, irreversibility, violence, and abuse, intense emotional and physical distress, professional growth or questioning, individual coping efforts, and the need for institutional support.

Traumatic patient care is a complex experience that involves emotional, ethical, professional, and organizational burdens for emergency nurses. To support nurses' well-being and the quality of care, structured psychosocial support programs, trauma-focused training, safe working environments, adequate staffing, and participatory management approaches are needed.