Acute Suffering, Act of Togetherness and On‐Scene Space: A Concept Synthesis for Caring in Prehospital Emergency Care

BACKGROUND: Prehospital emergency care attends to patients experiencing acute suffering; a sudden and profound disruption affecting the person's life, body and existential well-being in the context of illness, injury or crisis. In this unpredictable and vulnerable setting, a central question emerges: how can caring needs be effectively met? AIM: The aim of this paper is to develop a concept synthesis grounded in a caring science paradigm within the prehospital context, clarifying the nature of caring. METHOD: A concept synthesis based on a caring science theoretical framework was conducted using a combined deductive-inductive approach, integrating theory, clinical experience and relevant literature through an abductive and iterative process. RESULTS: The synthesis introduces three interrelated concepts: acute Suffering (S), act of Togetherness (T) and On-scene space (O), situated within Prehospital emergency care (P). These concepts collectively shape the STOP synthesis. STOP positions caring as the core of prehospital emergency care, emphasizing a holistic perspective that extends beyond a purely biological understanding. It provides a structured framework for understanding and practicing the complexity of caring in this setting. CONCLUSION: Using the STOP-sign metaphor, the STOP synthesis highlights the importance of pausing in prehospital emergency care to recognize the patient as a multidimensional human being experiencing acute suffering. By integrating the concepts of acute Suffering, act of Togetherness and On-scene space within the prehospital context, the synthesis promotes a shift beyond a solely biomedical perspective toward a caring science understanding of suffering and care. The synthesis may support prehospital professionals, particularly nurses, in integrating caring and medical knowledge in clinical practice and provides a theoretical basis for future research, education and a holistic prehospital emergency care.