Interactions between Nurses and Men Admitted with Chest Pain

UNLABELLED: This paper reports on an analysis of the interactions that occurred between nurses and men admitted with acute chest pain. BACKGROUND AND AIM: Men admitted to hospital after experiencing chest pain were the focus of a study into men's transition from being well men to ill men. During the study it became apparent that nurses adopted strategies to manage the men through this early acute phase of their illness. METHODS: Data were collected through fieldwork using participant observation on an acute medical admissions ward and an intensive care unit with dedicated coronary care beds. Twenty-five men were included in the study with 10 followed through to discharge. An interpretive grounded theory was used to direct the data collection and analysis. RESULTS: The men and nurses were seen to be part of a complex interplay, but three main types of interaction were identified: supportive, controlling and educative/informative. Discussions with the men suggests a key factor in the men's experiences was the interactions they had with the nursing and medical staff. CONCLUSIONS: Attention should be given to nurses' awareness of men's coping strategies when faced with sudden health change and how their actions impact on their recovery.