Abstract
Purpose: To investigate the difficulty faced by clinical nurses working in acute hospitals in support with returning to work for middle-aged patients after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).
Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 senior clinical nurses working in acute hospitals and analyzed with content analysis (Krippendorff).
Results: The nurses experienced the following themes: [A feeling of resistance to the burden of nursing services and duties], [Hesitation due to lack of expertise], [Mismatch between expectation and achievement], [Issues with the reinstatement support system], and [Need for the system to prioritize other duties].
Conclusion: The nurses experienced both self and external support-based difficulties in terms of how to balance reinstatement with a patient and other types of jobs, risk aversion with regard to patients, and institutional evaluation. There is a need to recognize and prioritize the necessity and expertise of reinstatement support and the value of the return to work support of nurses.
