Patients' experience of confusion in the intensive care unit following cardiac surgery

This article reports a study of postoperative intensive care as experienced by coronary artery by-pass patients. The purpose is to describe and reflect upon the patients' experience of confusion in the intensive care unit (ICU). The study was performed according to the phenomenological-hermeneutic research tradition, with ten patients participating. In a free dialogue, the patients were each asked to discuss their experiences in the ICU. The patients remembered their confusion well; it was a significant, incomprehensible experience for them. They felt anxiety while on the threshold between awareness and unawareness, and the fast-paced activity of the ICU environment threatened to draw them into the 'vicious circle' of confusion. In this situation patients emphasised the importance of closeness with a professional person to whom they could turn. The quality of the presence of the nursing staff was significant for the patients, for it was through the true presence of the nurses that patients felt safe, understood and accepted. Patients' comments concerning their confusion verified the challenge this phenomenon poses in nursing care. A research methodology which highlights the individuality of the patients can uncover other hidden or unquestioned issues in nursing. Accordingly, further areas for study are suggested here.