He survived thanks to a non-sedation protocol: Nurses' reflections about caring for critically ill, non-sedated and mechanically ventilated patients.

Objective: The objective was to explore ICU nurses' experiences of caring for non-sedated, critically ill mechanically ventilated patients, when following a study protocol as part of a clinical trial.

Design: The study had a qualitative design with twelve nurses participating in two focus groups. The interviews were analysed using a thematic approach.