Current practices and challenges in nursing care for family members of patients with burns in emergency departments

Abstract

Objective: To clarify the current status and issues in nursing care for family members of patients with burns in emergency departments. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nurses with at least five years of experience, affiliated with a Japanese Burn Society-certified burn specialist training facility and who provided emergency room care for patients with burns. The interviews explored the current status and challenges of nursing care for the families of burn patients in the emergency department. The analysis employed a qualitative inductive approach. Ethical considerations: The Ethical Review Committee of the institution the researcher belongs to approved the study (approval number: 588). Further, informed consent was obtained from participants. Results: Seven categories were identified, including [collaborate for long-term burn treatment], [help family members understand the condition], [encourage mutual support among family members], [ease the shock of physical changes], and [provide case-specific care] in a multi-professional setting. Five challenges emerged, including [an insufficient workforce to support families] and [an inability to create a suitable emergency room environment for families]. Conclusion: Nurses in the emergency department provided families of patients with burns with appearance and odor considerations to assist them in accepting the situation. Additionally, they supported their families during the patient’s medical treatment, which could be prolonged. However, a lack of adequate human and physical resources has hindered providing effective nursing care.