Abstract
Emergency department overcrowding has been gaining increasing national and
international attention in recent years, yet little research has been conducted to
understand the professional nurses’ experience of this phenomenon. Critically ill
patients remain in the emergency department for an extended period while new
patients are arriving; creating a situation where the patient nurse ratio is unbalanced
and the emergency department becomes overcrowded. Professional nurses in the
emergency department have to care for these patients who require a one on one
nurse to patient ratio in the intensive care unit (ICU), as well as new arrivals to the
emergency department. The standard waiting timeframe for the critically ill patient
from emergency department admission to the transfer of the patient to the ICU is
generally four hours; however, patients can wait for up to six hours or further thus
extending the waiting period.
The aim of this research was to understand the experiences of professional nurses
in caring for critically ill patients in the emergency department and to described
recommendations for assisting professional nurses caring for critically ill patients in
the emergency department at an academic hospital in Gauteng. The research
design used was a qualitative exploratory, descriptive and contextual design. The
accessible population was professional nurses who care for critically ill patients in
the emergency department at an academic hospital in Gauteng. Five focus group
interviews were conducted comprising of five to six participants. The research
question which was addressed was: What are the experiences of professional
nurses in caring for critically ill patients in the emergency department at an academic
hospital in Gauteng?
Data saturation was reached on the fifth focus group interview. The data was
transcribed verbatim from a tape recorder and field notes were written. Data analysis
was done using thematic coding of data. Ethical principles and measures of
trustworthiness were adhered to throughout the research study. The study revealed
that professional nurses experience frustration regarding the critically ill patient being
cared for in the emergency department, a lack of support. Participants made
suggestions for improvement for assisting professional nurses caring for critically ill
patients in the emergency department at an academic hospital in Gauteng.