Holding space and transitional space: stroke survivors' lived experience of being on an acute stroke unit. A hermeneutic phenomenological study.
Kitty M Suddick, Vinette Cross, Pirjo Vuoskoski and 2 others
PMID 32065418WHAT IT FOUND
Stroke survivors described acute stroke units as holding them safe while they faced vulnerability.
Nurse presence and kind personal care helped; night staffing gaps and confinement hurt. Patients also helped each other, and a participant saw physiotherapy as part of recovery.
Key findings
01The acute stroke unit was described as a lived space with two intertwined meanings: holding space and transitional space.
02Nurses' presence and kind personal care helped some survivors feel held, but busyness and low night staffing made others feel unsafe and alone.
03Fellow stroke survivors helped each other, and physiotherapy was described by a participant as immediate, challenging, and meaningful for recovery.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only four stroke survivors were interviewed, so the findings are an in-depth account of a small group, not a pattern for all acute stroke units. Participants were recruited from two UK acute stroke units and were interviewed three to twenty-one months after stroke, so recollection and local context may shape what they said. The researcher had a physiotherapy background and initial expectations about rehabilitation and caring, which may have shaped interpretation. The findings are the researcher's interpretation of participants' words, not an objective account of the units. Therapy staff were mentioned by only some participants, so the study does not describe the full multidisciplinary experience.
Declared interests
The paper says the University of Brighton provided a small grant supporting completion, while also saying no grant from any funding agency was received. The authors declared no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read positive accounts of nurse holding as proof that a holding approach improves stroke outcomes. The study describes survivors' interpretations and cannot show effects.