Maria Johansson
Länssjukhuset Kalmar, Linnèuniversitetet
Maria.kantarellgatan@telia.com
0485-34174, 073-3764649
Titel: Specialistsjuksköterska inom intensivvård
Magisterdegree
Family members’ experiences of a diary kept during their sick relative’s stay within the intensive care setting
Objective: The aim of the study was to explore family members’ experiences with keeping a diary during a sick relative’s stay in the ICU.
Design: A qualitative method with a hermeneutic approach was used. Eleven participants, who recorded nine diaries in total, were interviewed. The collected data were analysed using a hermeneutic approach inspired by Gadamer.
Results: The analysis revealed a meta-theme: ‘it [writing in the diary] felt like contact’ which was created by a feeling of togetherness and the opportunity to communicate with the patient. Keeping a diary likely meets the needs of family members in several ways because it becomes a way to be present at the patients’ bedsides, to provide caregiving, to maintain hope and to relay cogent information. However, concerns regarding negative aspects of diary keeping were also raised; for example, the diary created feelings of stress, guilt and failure and exposed intimate details.
Conclusion: The diary symbolised the maintenance of relationships with the patients and was a substitute for the usual opportunities for communication. Furthermore, it was instrumental in meeting the needs of the majority of family members in several ways. Nevertheless, the diary did have negative effects for certain individuals, which highlights the importance of an individualised approach.
Keywords :Diaries, experiences, Gadamer, hermeneutics, ICU, relatives
Huvudintresseområde: IVA-dagbokens betydelse för närstående och vårdpersonal
Publicerat material
Artikel; Family members’ experiences of a diary kept during their sick relative’s stay within the intensive care setting. (artikeln är accepterad i tidskriften The Journal of Intensive & Critical Care Nursing I November månad 2014 men inte publicerad ännu.
Länssjukhuset Kalmar, Linnèuniversitetet
Maria.kantarellgatan@telia.com
0485-34174, 073-3764649
Titel: Specialistsjuksköterska inom intensivvård
Magisterdegree
Family members’ experiences of a diary kept during their sick relative’s stay within the intensive care setting
Objective: The aim of the study was to explore family members’ experiences with keeping a diary during a sick relative’s stay in the ICU.
Design: A qualitative method with a hermeneutic approach was used. Eleven participants, who recorded nine diaries in total, were interviewed. The collected data were analysed using a hermeneutic approach inspired by Gadamer.
Results: The analysis revealed a meta-theme: ‘it [writing in the diary] felt like contact’ which was created by a feeling of togetherness and the opportunity to communicate with the patient. Keeping a diary likely meets the needs of family members in several ways because it becomes a way to be present at the patients’ bedsides, to provide caregiving, to maintain hope and to relay cogent information. However, concerns regarding negative aspects of diary keeping were also raised; for example, the diary created feelings of stress, guilt and failure and exposed intimate details.
Conclusion: The diary symbolised the maintenance of relationships with the patients and was a substitute for the usual opportunities for communication. Furthermore, it was instrumental in meeting the needs of the majority of family members in several ways. Nevertheless, the diary did have negative effects for certain individuals, which highlights the importance of an individualised approach.
Keywords :Diaries, experiences, Gadamer, hermeneutics, ICU, relatives
Huvudintresseområde: IVA-dagbokens betydelse för närstående och vårdpersonal
Publicerat material
Artikel; Family members’ experiences of a diary kept during their sick relative’s stay within the intensive care setting. (artikeln är accepterad i tidskriften The Journal of Intensive & Critical Care Nursing I November månad 2014 men inte publicerad ännu.
