Intensive Care Unit Nurse's Communication Experience

Youn-Hui Won; Jiyeon Kang

doi:10.7469/kjan.2014.26.3.352

Journal List > Korean J Adult Nurs > v.26(3) > 1094560

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Won and Kang: Intensive Care Unit Nurse's Communication Experience

Original Article

Korean J Adult Nurs 2014;26(3):352-361.

Published online: NaN June 2014

DOI: https://doi.org/10.7469/kjan.2014.26.3.352

Intensive Care Unit Nurse's Communication Experience

Youn-Hui Won¹, Jiyeon Kang²

^¹Dong-A University Medical Center, Busan

^²Department of Nursing, Dong-A University, Busan, Korea

Corresponding author: Kang, Jiyeon Department of Nursing, Dong-A University, 32 Daesingongwon-ro, Seo-gu, Busan 602-714, Korea. Tel: +82-51-240-2871, Fax: +82-51-240-2920, E-mail: jykang@dau.ac.kr

This article is a revision of the first author's master's thesis from Dong-A University.

Received 30 December 201321 May 2014 Accepted 5 June 2014

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to explore the communication experience of intensive care unit (ICU) nurses in the workplace.

Methods

The present study utilized a qualitative approach using focus group interview method. A total of three focus groups of 15 ICU nurses from two university hospitals were formed. The conversations during the focus group interviews were recorded and analyzed through Colaizzi's phenomenological method.

Results

As a result of analyzing participants' conversation, Five theme clusters were elicited, namely, “one-way communication”, “differences in the position of senior and junior nurses”, “communication crisis”, “beginning of understanding”, and “movement toward change” out of 15 themes and 138 significant sentences.

Conclusion

ICU nurses report having experienced communication crisis because of the one-way communication of the ICU nursing environment and the hierarchical differences in junior and senior nurses' position. Systematic education and continuous training on communication skills need to be provided to improve interpersonal relationship among nurses and work environment in the ICUs.

Keywords: Intensive care units, Nurse, Communication, Qualitative research, Focus groups

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Table 1.

Themes and Theme Clusters of Communication Experience in Intensive Care Unit Nurses

Themes	Theme clusters
․ Rapid communication in emergency situations	․ One-way communication
․ Junior nurses' unconditional acceptance to the direction of seniors	․ One-way communication
․ Senior nurses' preference of immediate responses from juniors	․ Differences in the position between senior and junior nurses
․ Fainthearted junior nurses
․ Birds of a feather
․ Being hurt by verbal insults and disregard	․ Communication crisis
․ Lack of consideration on privacy
․ Blocking of mutual relationship
․ Where is the moderator?
․ Time solves everything	․ Beginning of understanding
․ Consolation and touching	․ Beginning of understanding
․ Learning from others	․ Movement toward change
․ Trying to capture the preferences of senior nurses
․ Creating a breakthrough ․ Necessity of communication training

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