A Heideggerian hermeneutic study of the practice of critical care nurses

This study provides a Heideggerian analysis of the practice of eight critical care nurses who work in an Australian intensive care unit. Specifically, it describes two themes that emerged from a larger study on expert critical care nursing practice. These themes are referred to as 'balancing' and 'being busy'. Each theme emerged with several foci. The theme 'balancing' is concerned with the ability of the nurse to manage simultaneously the paradoxical relationship between the technology of the intensive care unit and the processes of care. 'Being busy' was a theme that recognized the technical nature of critical care nursing. The paper concludes with a discussion of the relevant Heideggerian philosophical concepts.