Australian civilian hospital nurses' lived experience of the out-of-hospital environment following a disaster: A lived-space perspective

ABSTRACT:

Study/Objective: This research explored what it may be like being an Australian civilian in-hospital nurse, in the out-of hospital disaster environment following a disaster, as part of a disaster medical assistance team. This presentation will explore the specific aspect of lived-space from a larger phenomenological research project.

Background: In the minutes following a disaster, reports from the media focus on the measurable impact. For example, the magnitude of an earthquake or the number of hectares burnt by a wildfire. Lived-space is concerned with felt space, going beyond these measurable physical, visible and touchable spaces. Lived-space is the way in which we find ourselves in our lifeworld through the spaces of our day-to-day existence

Methods: For this phenomenological study, narrative was obtained from eight Australian civilian hospital nurses following a disaster. Semi-structured interviews were conducted at two points in time. Descriptive moments of a possible lived experience were identified from participant narrative. These moments formed a lived experience description as an anecdote of an experience. A preparatory epoché-reduction and reduction proper was used to guide a reflection on the lived-space of being a nurse, following a disaster from the lived experience description.

Results: Lived-space was described as shrinking then being open too-wide, where nurses were drawn into the disaster lived-space, then returning home to a wide-open but crowded lived-space. Disaster health lived-space was described as occupying, sharing and giving back. Conclusion: This research provides insight into Australian civilian in-hospital nurse in the out-of-hospital disaster environment, following a disaster as part of a disaster medical assistance team. In particular, this work adds a lived-space perspective to the existing literature. These insights may inform future education, research, clinical practice, and policy.


Ranse J, Arbon P, Cusack L, Shaban R. (2017) Australian civilian hospital nurses' lived experience of the out-of-hospital environment following a disaster: A lived-space perspective; paper presented at the 17th WADEM Congress on Disaster and Emergency Medicine. Toronto, Canada 25th April.