Experiences of registered general nurses who care for patients presenting with self-harm to the emergency department in Ireland.

Background: There are a substantial number of self-harm presentations to emergency departments (EDs) yearly throughout Ireland. Nurses often struggle with the psychosocial nursing interventions required when caring for patients who present following self-harm.

Aim: To explore the experiences of registered general nurses (RGN) who care for patients presenting with self-harm to the ED in Ireland.

Method: A qualitative descriptive study design was used to explore experiences of RGNs in caring for patients with self-harm in the emergency department. Data was collected using one to one interviews with a purposive sample of nine RGNs working in ED. Transcripts were analysed using Burnard's thematic content analysis framework.

Results: Three themes emerged: 1) waiting for assessment/treatment in an unsuitable environment 2) caring for self-harming patients from a nursing perspective and 3) nurses' perceptions of self-harming patients.

Conclusion: Overall ED nurses hold a positive attitude towards patients who self-harm but acknowledge that barriers and challenges do exist when caring for this patient group. This study highlights the need for specific training on caring for patients who present to ED following self-harm.