A experiência vivida da pessoa doente internada numa UCI: revisão sistemática da literatura

• Autor(a) principal: Castro, Cidália
• Data de Publicação: 2011
• Outros Autores: Vilelas, José, Rebelo Botelho, Maria Antónia
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: https://doi.org/10.56732/pensarenf.v15i2.58
• topic: lived experience; intensive care unit; sick person; nursing; experiência vivida; unidade de cuidados intensivos; pessoa doente; enfermagem

Background: The admission to an intensive care unit of an unstable and vulnerable person, in a critical situation, where the finiteness is constantly present, requires an intensive assistance with sophisticated technology to maintain life. The experience of a patient in an environment which greatly contributes to depersonalisation and increases the anxiety is unique and of particular interest to nursing professionals. Patient experiences allow us to understand different ways of viewing the world. Watson (1988) stated that human experience cannot be measured, it can only be explained in how it is perceived, through the eyes of the person who experiences it. Only in this way can we hope to explore the phenomenon. Aim: To describe and analyse studies in order to understand the meaning of lived experience from the perspective of patients admitted to ICU. Design: Systematic Review using the PI[C]OS method. Methods: We included 11 studies from electronic databases (EBSCO) whose participants were 18 or older and had already been admitted to ICU. Results: The lived experience of participants in the studies included in this SRL shows that most are of a negative nature. The experiences are usually associated with feelings like death, terror, anxiety, inability to tell time, place and family, and difficulties in communicating. Pain and physical suffering are often experienced. The social support from family, spirituality and religious beliefs were identified as sources of emotional support. We found two distinct themes in the participants’ experiences referring to the intensive care environment, namely the technological environment and nursing care. The technological environment is described as unpleasant and the sound of “the heart monitor alarm” and “the noise and alarms of the machines” were shown to be a source of stress. Nursing care is associated with positive feelings such as empathy, security, confidence and tranquility. Conclusions: The studies reviewed indicate that the experiences of people admitted to the ICU are generally associated with negative feelings such as fear, difficulty sleeping, dreams, some inability to orient themselves in space and time and the imminence of death. However, we also found positive aspects, such as the friendliness of nurses, empathy and safety in care. We stress family, spirituality and religious beliefs as support strategies that people should use to aid ICU patients during hospitalisation.