Turning points of recovery from cardiac surgery during the intensive care unit transition.
OBJECTIVE
To explore the turning points of recovery from cardiac surgery of patients during the intensive care unit recovery transition.


METHODS
A descriptive qualitative design.


METHODS
Three hospitals in northern Taiwan, Republic of China.


METHODS
A convenience sample consisting of 30 adult patients (15 men and 15 women) who had undergone cardiac surgery. Age range was 20 to 67 years (mean, 46.6 years).


METHODS
The component, context, type, and positive or negative impact of turning points on patients' health.


METHODS
Data were collected through semistructured interviews and then analyzed by using qualitative content analysis.


RESULTS
Turning points, which included events, nursing actions, and time, were examined in terms of the preceding conditions and the positive or negative health outcomes. Participants in this study fell into four main groups with regard to turning point experiences during the intensive care unit transition: those having experiences of turning points with both positive and negative outcomes (57%); those having experiences of turning points with a positive outcome only (33%); those having no experience of a turning point with either a positive or negative outcome (7%); and those having experiences of turning points with a negative outcome only (3%). Four classes of turning point experiences identified from the data encompassed "precedingness," inclusiveness, comparativeness, and multiplicity.


CONCLUSIONS
We delineated the components, context, types, and positive or negative impact of turning points on patients' health after cardiac surgery during the intensive care unit transition. We also drew information on the nature, definition, and conceptual frameworks from data analysis to describe this phenomenon.
Shih
F J
FJ
College of Medicine, School of Nursing, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Republic of China.
Chu
S H
SH
Yu
P J
PJ
Hu
W Y
WY
Huang
G S
GS
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures / Q000451:nursing / Q000523:psychology*; D003289:Convalescence / Q000523:psychology*; D003422:Critical Care / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008960:Models, Psychological; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013624:Taiwan