Perceptions Among Nurses Regarding Transitional Care for Severe Burn Patients

Abstract

 To elucidate perceptions among nurses regarding transitional care for severe burn patients who transfer from an emergency room department to a plastic and reconstructive surgery department, we conducted semi-structured interviews among five emergency room department nurses and five plastic surgery nurses at an Advanced Treatment Hospital. Qualitative descriptive analysis generated six categories of perceptions among emergency department nurses, including “supporting patients in achieving self-care, including the recovery process and the environment in the new department,” and “sharing concerns and acceptance of the process related to body image changes caused by burn scars occasioned on the change in environment,” and six categories among plastic surgery nurses, including “perceptions of information gathering with consideration for continuing care aimed at wound healing and recovery of function,” and “perceptions of orientation covering patient transfers between wards at different treatment stages.” Perceptions of transitional care among emergency ward nurses were related to continuing care after transfers, whereas perceptions among reconstructive ward nurses were primarily focused on care aimed at patient recovery and sharing information across wards about the healing process. These results suggest that effective hospital orientation during patient transfer and information sharing regarding the needs of nurses are necessary for furthering transitional care.