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[Nurses dealing with emergency patients: a psychodynamic approach]
Revista Brasileira De Enfermagem
|April 1, 1996
Summary
Intensive care unit (ICU) nurses use defensive strategies like emotional distance to cope with patient suffering. While these tactics help nurses maintain psychological balance, they may negatively impact work quality and personal life.
Area of Science:
- Nursing
- Psychology
- Healthcare Management
Context:
- Intensive care units (ICUs) present unique challenges for nurses due to constant exposure to life-and-death situations.
- The nurse-patient relationship in ICUs can be a source of significant emotional distress for healthcare professionals.
Purpose:
- To identify and analyze defensive strategies used by intensive care unit nurses in a public hospital in Brasilia-DF.
- To understand how nurses manage the suffering inherent in their relationship with patients facing critical conditions.
Summary:
- This study explored defensive behaviors in eight ICU nurses through collective interviews focusing on patient care challenges.
- Four key defensive strategies were identified: impersonalness, emotional distance, communication avoidance, and overemphasis on technical procedures.
- These strategies help nurses achieve psychological equilibrium by minimizing exposure to patient suffering.
Impact:
- Defensive strategies can aid nurses in coping with the emotional burden of critical care.
- However, the use of these strategies may compromise the quality of nursing care and negatively affect nurses' professional and personal lives.