The experience of health care staff at NPICU and its impact on other areas of their life

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the lived experiences of health care staff working at the Neonatal Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (NPICU) at Mater Dei Hospital, and the meaning these experiences have on their family life, with a special focus on the coping strategies used to seek work-life balance. An Interpretative Phenomenological Approach was adopted for this study. A convenience sample of three medical doctors and three nurses was chosen and data was collected through semi structured interviews. Five main themes emerged from the data, namely dealing with sickness and death, challenging working conditions, impact on health, impact on family and coping strategies used. The findings suggest that staff at NPICU have a very stressful occupation, particularly the nature of the job itself and the working environment. The general feeling was that their work is not appreciated, and there is no support from their managers or any type of psychological support. The participants said that their work leaves more negative than positive impact on their lives, and they stressed on the importance of sports and hobbies as coping strategies. This study helped in bringing to light the needs of health care staff who work in difficult environments.