Working in an overcrowded accident and emergency department: nurses' narratives

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to highlight nursing issues associated with overcrowding (or access block) in the Accident and Emergency (A&E) department.

Design: An interpretive phenomenological approach was adopted, with the utilisation of unstructured interviews.

Setting: The A&E department of a general hospital situated in the West of Ireland.

Participants: Eleven nurses working in the A&E department volunteered to be interviewed.

Findings: Three central themes, with inter‑related sub‑themes, emerged from the data. The central themes identified were: lack of space, elusive care, and powerlessness, with sub‑themes being health and safety issues, infection control issues, poor service delivery, lack of respect/dignity, nurses hovering, unmet basic human needs, not feeling valued, moral distress, and stress/burnout.

Conclusions: The nurses in this study provide a distressing picture of nursing in an A&E department, as they pursue the provision of effective, holistic care of patients in overcrowded conditions.