Nurses' Experience of Patient Care in Multibed Hospital Rooms: Results From In-Depth Interviews With Nurses After Further Education in Anesthesia.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate and explore nurse's previous experiences of patient care in MBRs before their further education in anesthesia.

DESIGN: Qualitative research.

METHODS: Data were collected through three focus group interviews using content data analysis.

FINDINGS: Maintaining patient privacy, providing conditions for communication between health care professionals and patients, and undertaking daily practical care were stated as the main problems in MBR care. Inferior conditions for providing sensitive information and communication with proxies, especially in association with language problems, were frequently encountered. Patient's proxies could facilitate several problematic issues in MBR care.

CONCLUSIONS: The present study characterized well-defined and easily recognizable clinical problems experienced in the care of patients in an MBR setting from a nurse's perspective. The opinion shared by most nurses was that the inability to implement privacy, dignity, and sound communication with patients should be taken into account in future hospital designs. General dissatisfaction with work environment, increased stress, and the risk of errors in care may otherwise follow.