Non-radiology nurses' experiences with interventional radiology

Abstract

Interventional Radiology (IR) is an innovative subspecialty of radiology where minimally invasive procedures are performed by a dedicated team of interventional specialists including registered nurses for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes. Nursing care for IR patients also occurs in areas of the hospital by nurses who do not have specialized IR training. Few educational opportunities exist for non-radiology nurses to develop needed IR knowledge and related skills. This thesis was designed to understand the experiences non-radiology nurses have caring for IR patients. Transcribed semi-structured interviews with ten non-radiology nurses caring for patients in a Canadian hospital provided rich data for analysis. The themes nursing curriculum; acquired knowledge; IR procedures; building trusting therapeutic relationships; continuity of care; and non-radiology nurses’ overall experiences contributed to the conceptualization of how non-radiology nurses provide care and what their IR learning needs are. Enhancing IR training and support programs and promoting interdepartmental collaboration are key recommendations.