Health is yearning—Experiences of being conscious during ventilator treatment in a critical care unit

SummaryThe aim of this study was to investigate experiences of being conscious during ventilator treatment in the ICU from a patient perspective. Hermeneutic, phenomenological methods were used. Eight patients who had received ventilator treatment were interviewed. The time on a ventilator varied from 1 day to several months. Some patients had been more heavily sedated during the acute phase while some were only lightly sedated and others had no sedation at all. The motor activity assessment scale was used to rate the sedation level. The patients had been sufficiently conscious to communicate with the help of the alphabet board, by means of facial expression or by nodding or shaking their head. The results show that the experience of care by patients who were conscious during ventilator treatment was described under the headings of: memories, mastering the situation and individual consequences. Health in the ICU is associated with yearning. The patient undergoes different stages of yearning as part of his or her recovery process. The patient who is conscious during ventilator treatment views him/herself and his/her worth on the basis of the attitude and behaviour of the caregivers, where the value of caring consists of the holistic confirmation of individual suffering.