Patientsäkerhet vid intrahospitalatransporter : Intensivvårdssjuksköterskors erfarenheter och uppfattningar

Sammanfattning: Background: Intrahospital transfers of intensive care patients involves multiple risks where patient safety is challenged. Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate intensive care nurses’ experiences and perceptions of patient safety during intrahospital transfers. Method: A qualitative, explorative design was utilized with a phenomenographic approach. Ten intensive care nurses with varying work experience in intensive care were interviewed. The interviews were transcribed and analysed according to the phenomenographic method. Results: The analysis of the intensive care nurses’ experiences and perceptions resulted in four categories: routines, risks, support and job allocation. Patient safety was, according to the intensive care nurses, lower during intrahospital transfers compared to the intensive care ward but perceived as good in general. Their preparations and their ability to predict risks were mostly based on their experience level. They solved emerging problems depending on the situation. According to the intensive care nurses, being new in the profession poses a greater risk. Times when the doctors are on call and night time were especially risky times for transfers. They considered good routines important for patient safety and saw possibilities for improvement. The intensive care nurses expressed both confidence and a lack thereof with regards to the transfers and perceived it as easy to ask for help. Cooperation and communication were, according to the informants, crucial for patient safety. Conclusion: The intensive care nurses’ perceptions of patient safety during intrahospital transports were mainly based on their earlier experiences. A possibility for improvement exists through the implementation of a checklist and team training in simulated scenarios. It is important to ensure that patient safety is high during intrahospital transfers irrespective of the experience level of the staff.