Abstract

Nursing plays a vital role in the care and safety of patients. Compared to other health care disciplines, nursing spends the greatest amount of time at the bedside. As health care continues to evolve, nursing will be an active participant in effecting the delivery of patient care. However, there is a paucity of research focused specifically on experiences of nurses caring for patients in the OR. Recent research explores the phenomenon of the "weekend effect." This phenomenon suggests variations in patient outcomes on weekends and nights (off-peak hours) compared to weekdays. The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to explore the meaning of experiences of nurses who provide care during the off-peak hours. Participants were over the age of 18 and worked as circulating nurses during night and weekend hours at hospitals around the United States. Jean Watson's Theory of Human Caring was the theoretical framework used to organize recommendations and Max Van Manen's research method to complete the research process. Eleven participants were interviewed for this study. One research question guided the study. Data were collected via in-person interviews (semistructured) as well as through remote video call applications and telephone. Data were analyzed and prepared for coding using Van Manen's research method to identify patterns and themes. Several themes developed from this study. The most prominent theme was self-care neglect. Other emerging themes addressed the delivery of nursing care: we work as a team, no one to rely on, being responsible for everything, safety is the primary concern, and limited resources and support. Findings from the study have implications for the discipline of nursing regarding leadership, education, practice, and research.

Description

This dissertation has also been disseminated through the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. Dissertation/thesis number: 28316190; ProQuest document ID: 2489551088. The author still retains copyright.

Author Details

Tashma E. Watson, PhD, MSN, RN, CSSM

Sigma Membership

Omicron Delta

Type

Dissertation

Format Type

Text-based Document

Study Design/Type

Phenomenology

Research Approach

Qualitative Research

Keywords:

Operating Room, Off Peak Hours, Health Care Management, Experiences

Advisor

Linda Amankwaa

Second Advisor

Patricia Finch-Guthrie

Third Advisor

Pamela Springer

Degree

PhD

Degree Grantor

University of Phoenix

Degree Year

2020

Rights Holder

All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.

All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository.

All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.

Review Type

None: Degree-based Submission

Acquisition

Proxy-submission

Date of Issue

2021-07-19

Full Text of Presentation

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