Personal care assistants' lived experience of working in the home setting with children and adults on mechanical ventilation.

BACKGROUND

Working as a personal care assistant (PCA) with children and adults on mechanical ventilation in a home setting may be complex and challenging due to the physical and mental working conditions.

AIM

To explore the lived experience of working as a (PCA) with patients, children and adults on mechanical ventilation in the home setting.

DESIGN AND METHODS

A qualitative study using a phenomenological-hermeneutic approach. Data collection involved semi-structured individual interviews with 20 PCAs (n = 15 women and n = 5 men) in Denmark in 2020. Their work experience with patients on home mechanical ventilation ranged from 8 months to 25 years (median 8 years). The Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research checklist was used as a guideline.

FINDINGS

Four main themes emerged from the structural analysis: Being a fly on the wall or part of the family, Always being in a state of readiness is exhausting, Being a team player and Mutual respect is key in the work relationship.

CONCLUSION

PCAs had to balance on a knife's edge when working with children and adults on mechanical ventilation in the home setting and try to strike a happy medium. Enduring the job required a proper physical and mental work environment, and thorough preparation, achieved not only through technical training, but also through learning how to be part of a professional relationship characterised by mutual respect and matched expectations.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

The findings provide clinical practice with important insights into how to inform, prepare and educate PCAs working with patients on mechanical ventilation in the home setting. Further research into home care education and training programmes with a patient- and family-centred care approach is needed.