The Critical Appraisal of Critical Care Nurses' Perceptions of Their Roles in Family-Team

183 Pages·2014·4.6 MB·English

Working with patients living with obesity in the intensive care unit: A study of nurses’
experiences

Jacqueline Marie Shea RN, BScN, MScN

Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies in partial fulfilment of the
requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Nursing

Faculty of Health Sciences
School of Nursing
University of Ottawa

June 24, 2014

© Jacqueline Shea, Ottawa, Canada, 2014
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Summary
Nurses who work in the intensive care settings (or units, ICU) in Canada encounter a growing
number of patients living with obesity (PLWO) in clinical practice. Many authors suggest that the
number of PLWO who are admitted to the ICU has increased significantly because obesity is on
the rise in Canada. PLWO are thought to be at a higher risk for developing chronic illnesses and
life-threatening complications that require an admission to the ICU. They are also more likely to
develop postoperative complications that require life-sustaining treatments, invasive
hemodynamic monitoring and evaluation, assistive devices, pharmacological interventions,
parenteral nutrition, fluid and electrolyte management, and prolonged admission with associated
risks of complications. Yet, there is limited research on the experience of nurses providing care
to PLWO. The goal of this qualitative study was to examine the experiences of ICU nurses who
work with PLWO and how these experiences affect the way they provide care. More specifically,
this study was designed to describe and explore the inclusionary and exclusionary practices
developed by nurses providing care to PLWO by drawing Canales’ (2000) Othering framework.
Lastly, an additional goal of this study was to document the needs of ICU nurses with respect to
the care of PLWO and areas of improvement in the ICU. A total of 11 ICU nurses were
interviewed for this study. Data analysis followed the principles of Applied Thematic Analysis
(ATA) and revealed four themes. The first theme describes how the PLWO become “Other” in
the ICU context. The second theme focuses on exclusionary Othering and how it manifests itself
in the way PLWO are differentiated, cared for, and viewed in the ICU context. The third theme
sheds light on inclusionary Othering in the form of strategies that are used by ICU nurses to
engage with PLWO in a way that is inclusive and transformative. Finally, the last theme
concentrates on the ICU environment itself and the resources available (or not available) to
nurses, with a particular emphasis on the needs of nurses who provide care to PLWO.
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Acknowledgements
I would first like to acknowledge my thesis supervisor Dr. Marilou Gagnon and my thesis
committee, specifically Dr. Jean-Daniel Jacob and Dr. Christine McPherson. To Dr. Marilou
Gagnon, I would like to extend my gratitude and appreciation for your guidance, support,
encouragement, patience and humour throughout this research process and learning
experience. Most of all thank you for all your hard work I would not have made it here without
you. Dr. Jean-Daniel Jacob and Dr. Christine McPherson, thank you both for sharing your
thoughts, your research expertise and for providing constructive feedback throughout my thesis.
I would also like to express my feelings of gratitude to Suzanne Nussey, thank you for time, your
attention and you guidance in this experience.
To the ICU nurses who participated in this research study, I would like to express my
appreciation and express how wonderful all of you have made this experience. To my fellow
nurses and friends, it is because of all of you I am proud to be a nurse and I appreciate all the
support that has been provided to me to complete my education through simple conversations
or assisting me with changing my shifts so that I could attend classes. You are all amazing and I
am fortunate to have had the experience of working with all of you. Mariko, thank you to my
fellow nurse and master’s student for all your support both emotionally and mentally. Thank you
for reading and revising so many of my papers and assisting me to improve my writing skills.
You are an amazing woman and friend.
Mom, thank you for helping to shape the person and nurse that I have grown into.
Thank you for your encouragement and support, I would not have been able to achieve many of
my life goals without you. Thank you for teaching me to preserve and to keep trying even if you
may not succeed they were valuable life lessons. Gram and Grandad, thank you both for all the
emotional support and for passing on your love of learning and the importance of education.
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Table of Contents

Summary ................................................................................................................................... ii
Acknowledgments ................................................................................................................... iii
Table of Contents ..................................................................................................................... iv
Figures ..................................................................................................................................... vii
Tables ..................................................................................................................................... viii

Chapter 1. Research Problem .................................................................................................. 1
1.1 Research Problem ............................................................................................................. 1
1.1.1 PLWO in the ICU Context ........................................................................................... 1
1.1.2 PLWO in the Health Care Context............................................................................... 4
1.2 Research Question ............................................................................................................ 8
1.3 Research Objectives .......................................................................................................... 8
1.4 Epistemological Position .................................................................................................... 9

Chapter 2. Literature Review .................................................................................................. 12
2.1 Obesity : A Brief Description ............................................................................................ 12
2.2 Epidemiology ................................................................................................................... 13
2.3 The “Obesogenic” Environment ....................................................................................... 14
2.4 Social Construction of Obesity ......................................................................................... 14
2.5 Medical Construction of Obesity ...................................................................................... 21
2.6 Health Care Context ........................................................................................................ 25
2.7 Providing Nursing Care to PLWO .................................................................................... 27
2.8 Attitudes and Perception of Nurses .................................................................................. 29
2.9 Impact of Experience on Attitudes and Perceptions of Nurses ......................................... 32

Chapter 3. Theoretical Framework ......................................................................................... 36
3.1 Background ..................................................................................................................... 36
3.1.1 Symbolic Interactionism ............................................................................................ 36
3.1.2 Stigma ...................................................................................................................... 37
3.2 Othering : The Framework ............................................................................................... 38
3.2.1 Othering Practices .................................................................................................... 39
3.2.2 Inclusionary Practices ............................................................................................... 41
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3.2.3 Exclusionary Practices .............................................................................................. 42
3.3 Othering in the Nursing Literature .................................................................................... 44
3.3.1 Interprofessional Communication, Power and Hostile Workplaces ............................ 45
3.3.2 Immigration and Racism ........................................................................................... 45
3.3.3 Race and Identity ...................................................................................................... 46
3.3.4 Nursing Education, Nursing Research and Cultural Competence.............................. 47
3.3.5 Nursing Practice: Psychiatry, Forensic and HIV/AIDS ............................................... 48
3.3.6 Obesity...................................................................................................................... 49

Chapter 4. Methodological Considerations ........................................................................... 51
4.1 Research Design ............................................................................................................. 51
4.2 Research Setting ............................................................................................................. 53
4.2.1 Research Sites .......................................................................................................... 54
4.2.2 Values and Standards ............................................................................................... 56
4.2.3 Nursing Care ............................................................................................................. 57
4.2.4 Physical Environment and Resources ....................................................................... 59
4.3 Recruitment ..................................................................................................................... 60
4.4 Sample ............................................................................................................................ 62
4.5 Data Collection ................................................................................................................ 63
4.6 Data Analysis ................................................................................................................... 65
4.7 Rigor ................................................................................................................................ 67
4.8 Ethical Considerations ..................................................................................................... 70

Chapter 5. Research Findings ................................................................................................ 74
5.1 Working with the Other .................................................................................................... 75
5.2 Exclusionary Othering in the ICU ..................................................................................... 80
5.2.1 Protecting Yourself .................................................................................................... 80
5.2.2 Not Being Able to Provide Care ................................................................................ 86
5.2.3 Witnessing Instances of Obesity Biais ....................................................................... 92
5.3 Inclusionary Othering in the ICU ...................................................................................... 98
5.3.1 Keeping Your Distance ............................................................................................. 98
5.3.2 Getting to Know Your Patient .................................................................................. 101
5.3.3 Role Taking ............................................................................................................. 104
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5.4 ICU Environment ........................................................................................................... 106
5.4.1 Resources ............................................................................................................... 107
5.4.2 Working With Each Other ........................................................................................ 112
5.4.3 Needs ..................................................................................................................... 115

Chapter 6. Discussion .......................................................................................................... 118
6.1 Where Nurses Work and How They Feel About Their Work Matters .............................. 119
6.2 How Nurses Relate to Patients, Colleagues, and Context Matters ................................. 123
6.3 Limitations of the Study ................................................................................................. 126
6.4 Implications of the Research Findings ........................................................................... 127
6.4.1 Implications for Education ....................................................................................... 127
6.4.2 Implications for Nursing Practice ............................................................................. 128
6.4.3 Implications for Research ........................................................................................ 129
6.4.4 Implications for Nursing Theory ............................................................................... 130

Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 132
References ............................................................................................................................ 133
Appendix A. Research Ethics Board Approvals ................................................................. 155
Appendix B. Recruitment Posters ....................................................................................... 158
Appendix C. Pre-Interview Questionnaire ........................................................................... 161
Appendix D. Interview Guide ................................................................................................ 164
Appendix E. ICU Research Committee Consent ................................................................. 166
Appendix F. Consent Forms ................................................................................................ 168
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Figures
Figure 1. Identification and differentiation .................................................................................. 40
Figure 2. Overview of research findings .................................................................................... 74
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Tables
Table 1. Ages of RNs working in the research setting ............................................................... 55
Table 2. Characteristics of research participants ....................................................................... 62
Table 3. Rigor criteria ................................................................................................................ 67
Table 4. Needs of ICU nurses ................................................................................................. 116
Table 5. Key strengths of the study ......................................................................................... 127
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CHAPTER 1
RESEARCH PROBLEM
1.1 Research Problem
1.1.1 PLWO in the ICU Context
The intensive care unit (ICU) is a fast-paced, stressful, demanding and highly technological
environment (McGrath, 2008; Reto, 2003) where nurses require additional education and
knowledge to safely provide nursing care to critically ill patients. ICU nurses provide one-on-one
care to patients with complex needs (physical, emotional, spiritual, psychosocial) and medical
conditions that require life-sustaining treatments, ongoing diagnostic tests, invasive
hemodynamic monitoring and evaluation, assistive devices, pharmacological interventions,
parenteral nutrition, fluid and electrolyte management, and prolonged admission with associated
risks of complications. Providing nursing care in the ICU context is a challenge because of
patient acuity, complex care needs, physical demands, ever-changing clinical situations, and
competing priorities (Reto, 2003). For these same reasons, nurses may encounter additional
challenges when caring for a person, persons or patients living with obesity (henceforth –
PLWO) in the ICU context (Reto, 2003).
According to the World Health Organization (WHO, 2012), obesity is defined as an
“abnormal or excessive accumulation of body fat which may impair health” (p.1). Obesity in
adults is primarily defined through the use of the body mass index (BMI) (WHO, 2012). The BMI
is calculated by a person’s weight in kilograms, which is then divided by his/her height in meters
squared (kg/m2) (Health Canada, 2006; WHO, 2012). People who are identified as obese have
a BMI of 30 or greater, and those who are considered morbidly obese have a BMI greater than
40 or are 100 lbs. above their ideal body weight (Health Canada, 2006; Smith, 2008; WHO,
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2012). The BMI is considered to be the standard measurement for defining obesity, yet the
literature has noted that this measurement has a number of limitations (Wright, 1998) and was
originally developed for use in population studies, not for individual diagnosis (Rail, 2012).
Despite these limitations, the BMI continues to be used as the primary tool to define obesity.
Researchers have found that the physical demands associated with providing care to
PLWO who are critically ill increase just based on the weight of the patient alone (Hahler, 2002,
Reto, 2003). The same relationship has been described with respect to patient weight and key
dimensions of ICU nursing such as patient acuity and complex care needs (Reto, 2003).
Additionally, ICU nurses working with PLWO may face important challenges when providing life
sustaining treatments such as vasopressors, assisting with diagnostic tests such as chest x-
rays, ensuring hemodynamic monitoring and evaluation using central venous pressure, assistive
devices such as ventilators, pharmacological interventions based on weight calculations,
organizing parenteral nutrition as well as fluid and electrolyte management based on individual
needs, and implementing preventive measures to diminish the risk of complications related to
prolonged ICU admissions which are common in this patient population. Additionally, ICU
nurses working with PLWO who are unstable may encounter important difficulties when obtain
intravenous access, accurate readings of blood pressures, maintaining airways or doing chest
compressions (CPR) (Reto, 2003).
ICU nurses in the United States and in Canada encounter a growing number of PLWO
in clinical practice. This trend is consistent with the increasing weight and BMI of the general
population (Bochicchio et al., 2006; Kiraly, Hurt & Van Way, 2011; Poon & Tarrant, 2009;
Zuzelo, 2005; Zuzelo & Seminara, 2006). Over the past 25 years, the number of children and
adults who are considered to be obese has increased greatly in Canada (Health Canada, 2006;
Tremblay, Katzmarzyk & Willms, 2002). Katzmarzyk (2002) observed that in a 13 year period,