Perceptions of emergency nurses towards patients with addictive behaviour.

Abstract

This qualitative study delves into the perceptions of six nurses during the delivery of care to the addictive clients. The perceptions of the nurse towards these clients were explored. Perceptions included the knowledge and experiences of nurses. Semi-structured interviews were used. The data was analyzed using exploratory descriptive, phenomenological analysis. Main findings revealed that addictive clients are perceived as difficult to care for, whereas relapse was a phenomena that nurses could not comprehend. The nurses felt the need to be supported and expected to have a psychiatric nurse or a psychotherapist to join their team as they felt that they were not well equipped to psychologically deal with this client group. Environmental factors also effected the nurses' perceptions when dealing with this client group.