title: Ambulance clinicians' experiences of relationships with patients and significant others.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Ambulance clinicians (ACs) have to provide advanced care and treatment to patients in a challenging and emotionally demanding environment, therefore they establish interpersonal relationships embracing both patients and significant others. Relationships in emergency care were earlier found to be short-lived and lacking a holistic understanding of the patient. In their relationship with the ambulance clinicians, it is for patients to surrender and become dependent, which may be interpreted as both a negative and a positive experience.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to elucidate ambulance clinicians' experiences of relationships with patients and significant others.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were collected from four focus group conversations, with a total of 18 participating ambulance clinicians. An inductive qualitative content analysis method was chosen.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The analysis resulted in one main category: 'To be personal in a professional role' and three generic categories: 'To be there for the affected person', 'To be personally involved' and 'To have a professional mission'. There were subsequently nine sub-categories. The main category was described as intertwining the experience of being both personal and professional. The ambulance clinicians adapt to a situation while having the affected person in focus. They involve themselves as persons but at the same time use the power of their professional role.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The relationship with patients and significant others from the ambulance clinicians' perspective can be understood as embracing both personal and professional aspects.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study provides an understanding of the ambulance clinicians' professional role as embracing a personal perspective, which is important when developing an emergency ambulance service focusing on care that involves more than just emergency medical treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.|Centre for Clinical Research Sörmland, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Mats
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Holmberg
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Anna Carin
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Wahlberg
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.|Department of Health Care Sciences, Ersta Sköndal University College, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Ingegerd
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Fagerberg
authors.affiliation: Senior lecturer, School of Health and Medical Sciences, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden.
authors.forename: Kerstin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Forslund
mesh_terms: D000552:Ambulances; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000379:methods; D004634:Emergency Medical Technicians / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010361:Patients; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D036301:Qualitative Research
keywords: Ambulance care; Ambulance clinicians; Focus groups; Nursing; Professional relationship