Fundamental care in the emergency room: insights from patients with life-threatening conditions in the emergency room

Fundamental care in the emergency room: insights from patients with life-threatening conditions in the emergency room

Persons who become life-threateningly ill or injured (due to for example trauma or cardiac arrest) are cared for in hospitals’ designated emergency rooms at the emergency department (ED). In these rooms, the life-threatening condition and biomedical focus may reinforce a culture that value the medical-technical care. Meeting patients fundamental care needs (integrating physical, psychosocial and relational care needs) in a person-centred way might hence be challenging in emergency rooms. Little is known about how person-centred fundamental care is experienced and valued by vulnerable and exposed patients in emergency rooms. This study aims to describe fundamental care needs experienced by patients with a life-threating condition in the emergency room.

Despite being life-threateningly ill or injured, patients were still able to describe their unique needs—which were not only related to biomedical care. A relationship was established between healthcare professionals and the patient in the initial stage, but not maintained during their stay at the emergency room. Patients felt their physical needs were met to a greater extent than psychosocial and relational needs, despite their prioritizing the latter. Patients preferred personalized care but described care as task oriented. The physical environment limited patients from having their fundamental care needs met, and they adopted to a “patient role” to avoid adding to staff stress. The emergency room situation evoked existential thoughts.

Veronica Pavedahl, Åsa Muntlin, Ulrica Von Thiele Schwarz, Martina Summer Meranius & Inger K. Holmström

https://bmcemergmed.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12873-024-01133-4

BMC Emergency Medicine

17 november 2024

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