The meaning given to pain in critical patients by the nursing professional

Abstract

Objective: Understand the meaning of pain for nurses in the Intensive Care Unit. Methods: qualitative phenomenological hermeneutic, through intentional sampling, twelve nurses were selected for the application of a semi-structured interview with random questions. Data analysis is achieved by theoretical saturation. Results: Seven themes contained in three main categories were identified to understand the meaning of pain: Pain as a vital sign, nursing role and the role of the family in the face of the patient's pain. Conclusions: Pain is an unpleasant experience, it is reflected in hemodynamic changes, complications and in the sensations experienced by the patient and his family. Nurses use scales to assess it, correlating clinical symptoms and verbal manifestations for diagnosis. It is necessary to strengthen pharmacological knowledge. Pain treatment is compromised by workload, credibility, and the physiological changes that are evident in the patient. © 2024, Fundacion Index. All rights reserved.