Recruitment of participants
Potential participants were initially identified
by the charge nurse or nurse researcher in the
ICU, who would inform the next of kin about
the study. These staff ascertained if the next
of kin were happy for me to contact them and
discuss the study in more detail. Patients who
were still in ICU on day seven were considered
potential participants. At the time of recruit-
ment, some key physiological indicators were
considered to indicate the potential for a
long stay in ICU. Participants were recruited
from two tertiary- and two secondary-level
ICUs. As I wanted to investigate experiences
within a real-life context, and to understand
the trajectory as it unfolded, I needed to gain
proxy consent from the patient's next of kin
until the patient was well enough to consent
for themselves.
According to one expert in the field, data
collection when doing case study research
begins when there is a commitment to do a
study.g This consists of gathering background
information to the case and first impres-
sions. I kept a diary to capture discussions
with colleagues and health-care professionals
about this study. I had meetings with various
ICU staff and would summarise discussions
afterwards. I would also include my first
impressions of different units as I entered
them, as some of these impressions were also
what families' experienced. Being a visitor
to the unit initially, I would have to wait in
reception or waiting areas. As an ICU nurse for
15 years, I had never had to wait in an ICU
waiting room. Throughout this study, I would
capture my feelings and thoughts in my diary
at the end of each day of collecting data.
Because the data collection was over such a
long period, this helped me remember specifics
about each case.