72012 - Nurses experience of caring for patients in need of surgical care cared for in non-surgical beds

Introduction As the number of open care places in inpatient care has decreased over time, the number of outpatients has increased. Outlying of patients involve an increased patient safety risk and affect the nurse's nursing work. Patients with a surgical need of care may have a complex need for nursing and specialist nurses are an important part of the patient's care context. The aim is to describe nurses' experiences of caring for patients with a need of surgical care and who are out located in a non-specialized surgical ward. Method A qualitative interview study was conducted and a total of 8 nurses were interviewed. A qualitative content analysis was used in accordance with Graneheim and Lundman. Result Three main categories were crystallized: Patient safety risk, Impact on the work environment and Learning and development in the role of the nurse. The nurses stated that patients in need of surgical care are an interesting group of patients and that caring for these patients provided a positive variation in their work as well as development opportunities. The nurses also stated obstacles regarding providing patients with good and safe care as well as shortcomings in the nurses' work environment. Discussion Increased competence and better collaboration between different specialties can lead to improved patient safety and working environment for nurses who care for patients with surgical need of care and who are being treated at non-surgical wards. To increase the patient safety, the specialist nurse could have a more central role in the care of these patients.