Reassuring and reducing anxiety in seriously injured patients: a study of accident and emergency interventions

doi:10.1016/S0965-2302(96)90057-0

Accident and Emergency Nursing

Volume 4, Issue 3, July 1996, Pages 125-131

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0965-2302(96)90057-0 Get rights and content

Abstract

This paper is an account of a qualitative study of significantly injured patients' experience in the Accident and Emergency department (A & E) and explores the question ‘What A & E nursing interventions are effective in providing reassurance and reducing anxiety in patients with significant trauma?’

A review of the limited literature available indicates that when a seriously injured patient is admitted to the A & E department, the medical and nursing staff often respond urgently to the physiological crisis without adequate consideration of psychological needs. The research design used a version of the Critical Incident Technique to interview 7 patients who had sustained serious injuries a few days previously. The findings indicate that central to the delivery of emergency care is the individual's transition from their normal independent existence through pre-hospital trauma and into the isolating experience of fear, dependence and the resuscitation room. Different methods of coping were required to meet their needs and regain some control. Methods such as touch, company and information became paramount as did the need to trust the people seen to be in control of their new environment.

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Original articleReassuring and reducing anxiety in seriously injured patients: a study of accident and emergency interventions

Abstract

Critical Care Nursing Clinics of North America

Critical Care Nursing Clinics of North America

Nursing Clinics of North America

Care to Communicate

Stress and Self Awareness: A Guide for Nurses

A qualitative investigation of reassurance

Holistic Nursing Practice

Learning Human Skills. An Experiential Guide for Nurses

Psychiatric Nursing Described

The Research Process in Nursing

The perceived immediate needs of families with relatives in the intensive care setting

Heart Lung

The cognitive arrest hypothesis of denial

Journal of Psychosocial Nursing

Nursing Research. The Application of Qualitative Approaches

The critical incident technique

Psychological Bulletin

Original article
Reassuring and reducing anxiety in seriously injured patients: a study of accident and emergency interventions