The lived experiences of intensive care patients on transfer to a general ward

Background & Aim: This study aimed to discover the lived experiences of patients transferred from the intensive care unit (ICU) to a general ward, to reach a deeper understanding of this phenomenon.
Methods & Materials: This is a qualitative study with an interpretative phenomenological approach, which is conducted at hospitals affiliated to universities, and private hospitals of Tehran in 2013. Eighteen participants were purposefully selected for face-to-face and semi-structured interviews.
Results: The findings revealed that the ICU patients experienced various feelings during the process of transition to a general ward. In this regard, three main themes were identified: “happiness of return” (consisted of three subthemes: “return to living,” “return to family,” and “return to a general ward”); “separation anxiety” (consisted of two subthemes: “anxiety of separation from the equipment” and “anxiety of separation from ICU staff”); and “spiritual development” (consisted of two subthemes: “being thankful to God” and “well-wishing toward others”).
Conclusion: The findings of the present study showed that recognizing and focusing on each patient’s individual needs, emotions, and expectations is essential to provide more holistic and patient- centered care during the process of transition from ICU to a general ward. Accordingly, there is a potential need to develop structured and formal discharge planning in the clinical settings like Iran where this topic has not been touched yet.