Interaction between nurse anesthetists and patients in a highly technological environment

Purpose To explore the specific interactions between patients and nurse anesthetists in the highly technological environment of anesthesia nursing, focusing on the time interval between patient entrance into the operating room and induction of general anesthesia. Design Focused ethnography was used for data collection. Methods Participant observation and interview of 13 hospitalized patients being admitted for major or minor surgical procedures and 13 nurse anesthetists in charge of their patients and anesthetic procedures. Photographs were taken of specific situations and technological objects in the observation context. The analysis was inspired by grounded theory. Finding A core variable of creating emotional energy is presented, and two subcore variables are delineated: instilling trust and performing embodied actions. Conclusion Creating emotional energy has an important impact on the interaction between patients and nurse anesthetists. Furthermore, the motives underpinning nurse anesthetists' interactions with patients are a central constituent in developing anesthesia care.