Work relationships and Intensive Care Decision Challenges among Critical care nurses: a Phenomenological study

Abstract

The objective of critical care is to reach consensus on desired outcomes and attain realistic goals of care; yet, many of these decisions are complex with  several elements that care professionals must take into account, some of which are contentious and can hinder inter-professional cooperation. The aim  of this study are to explore how critical care nurses relate and participate with other health care professionals in deciding patient care in intensive care  unit in Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital in Zaria, Nigeria. The research design utilized for the study was a qualitative hermeneutic  phenomenological design, where eleven (11) intensive care nurses were involved in an in depth interview. Results indicate that participants operate fair  trust relationship, unnecessary arguments leading to unwarranted time wasting before giving the desired care were identified as factors hindering  collaborative decision making among other factors. Intensive care nurses faced some challenges which include poor supplies, communication gap and  leadership issues. The study concluded that intensive care nurses face conflicts during decision making and strategy such as avoidance behavior is used  to resolve it. It was recommended that team members should promote collaboration with one another in order to create a less stressful environment  with mutual respect unconditionally.