Aud J. Orøy - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Aud J. Orøy

International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being, 2020

Purpose: In this study, we explore the lived experiences of chronic illness in four groups of pat... more Purpose: In this study, we explore the lived experiences of chronic illness in four groups of patients; children with asthma, adolescents with diabetes, young adults with depression, and adult patients with chronic, obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Persons living with chronic illness are often designated as vulnerable. This study builds on the assumption that being vulnerable belongs to being human, and that vulnerability also might entail strength and possibilities for growth. Methods: A narrative analysis was undertaken to illuminate how experiences of vulnerability were narrated across the four patient groups, presenting four individual stories, one from each of the patient groups. Results/conclusion: The stories illuminate how living with a chronic illness implies differing capabilities and capacities dependent on the specific condition. At the same time the stories point to how various abilities and challenges in living with chronic illness can be alleviated or seen as resources. Considered together, the stories underscore how ´finding ways to carry on´ in chronic illness requires interpretational work. By calling upon resources among significant others, in the surroundings and in oneself, the narrator can find ways of interpreting living with chronic illness that might open towards a hopeful future.

Nursing Inquiry, Aug 16, 2022

This study explores the perceptions of Norwegian nurses who have received assisted dying requests... more This study explores the perceptions of Norwegian nurses who have received assisted dying requests from terminally ill patients. Assisted dying is illegal in Norway, while in some countries, it is an option. Nurses caring for terminally ill patients may experience ethical challenges by receiving requests for euthanasia and assisted suicide. We applied a qualitative research design with a phenomenological hermeneutic approach using open individual interviews. A total of 15 registered nurses employed in pulmonary and oncology wards of three university hospitals and home care in one municipality were recruited. Four themes emerged from the analysis: (1) unprepared for the request; (2) meeting direct, indirect, and nonverbal requests; (3) working in a gray zone, and (4) feeling alone and powerless. The study found that nurses were unsure how to handle such requests due to professional uncertainty about assisted dying. Working in an environment where the topic is taboo made nurses morally uncertain, and some perceived this as moral distress. The hospital chaplain played a significant role in providing support to these nurses.

Nursing, Jul 1, 2022

The purpose was to investigate: (a) Norwegian nurses' attitudes toward assisted dying, and (b) ho... more The purpose was to investigate: (a) Norwegian nurses' attitudes toward assisted dying, and (b) how much nurses receive requests from terminally ill patients for help in dying. Participants and Methods: A quantitative explorative study was conducted using a web-based cross-sectional survey to collect data. The survey was sent to a total of 734 eligible participants, and 205 clinical nurses participated by completing the survey. Data were analyzed using bivariate statistics and multivariate ordinal regression. Results: The study revealed that 56% of the participating nurses agreed with the statement that physician-assisted suicide should be allowed, and 48% supported legalization of euthanasia. Nurses in pulmonary wards were more positive about the legalization of physician-assisted suicide (OR = 2.98, CI = 1.34-6.66, p = 0.008) and euthanasia (OR = 3.51, CI = 1.58-7.81, p = 0.002) than nurses in oncological wards. Nurses over 30 years old held more negative attitudes about physician-assisted suicide than younger nurses (OR = 0.16, CI = 0.07-0.39, p < 0.001; and OR = 0.45, CI = 0.21-0.96, p = 0.038), and nurses with postgraduate education held more negative attitudes than nurses with a bachelor's degree (OR = 0.46, CI = 0.24-0.88, p = 0.019). A total of 118 nurses (58%) had received at least one request about assisted dying in their clinical practice. Conclusion: Our results provide insight into clinical nurses' attitudes toward assisted dying. Their attitudes were influenced by their age, education, and practice in different wards. Support for legalization of assisted dying is higher in the general Norwegian population than among nurses and receiving requests for assisted dying is not unusual for clinical nurses.

International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being, Jan 18, 2011

The aim of this paper was to explore the health professionals' experiences and gain a deeper ... more The aim of this paper was to explore the health professionals' experiences and gain a deeper understanding of interaction with families of critically ill or traumatized patients with severe brain injuries. The methodological approach was qualitative and phenomenological. Data were collected through participant observation and in-depth interviews with nurses, physicians, and chaplains working in two ICUs in a Norwegian university hospital. A thematic analysis was used for analyzing data. Two main themes emerged from analysis: Patient oriented even when present and Family oriented even when absent. Each main theme is divided into two sub-themes. The themes appeared as phases in an interaction process. In the two first phases the interaction may be characterized as Alternating between being absent and present and Following up and withholding information and in the two last phases as Turning point and changing focus and Partly present when waiting for death. The findings are in the ...

Nursing Ethics, 2014

Background: Organ donation and transplantation have made it possible to both save life and to imp... more Background: Organ donation and transplantation have made it possible to both save life and to improve the quality of life for a large number of patients. In the last years there has been an increasing gap between the number of patients who need organs and organs available for transplantation, and the focus worldwide has been on how to meet the organ shortage. This also rises some ethical challenges. Objective: The objective of this study was to explore healthcare professionals' experience of ethics related to care and interaction with critically ill patients with severe brain injuries and their families. Research design: A hermeneutic phenomenological approach was used to explore the participants' experiences. Methods for collecting data were a combination of participant observations and in-depth interviews. Participants and research context: Two ICUs in a Norwegian university hospital were recruited for data collection. A total of 12 cases were observed, and 32 of the healt...

Intensive and Critical Care Nursing, 2013

Nursing Philosophy, 2013

Vulnerability is a human condition and as such a constant human experience. However, patients and... more Vulnerability is a human condition and as such a constant human experience. However, patients and professional health care providers may be regarded as more vulnerable than people who do not suffer or witness suffering on a regular basis. Acquiring a deeper understanding of vulnerability would thus be of crucial importance for health care providers. This article takes as its point of departure Derek Sellman's and Havi Carel's discussion on vulnerability in this journal. Through different examples from the authors' research focusing on the interaction between health professionals and patients, existential, contextual, and relational dimensions of vulnerability are illuminated and discussed.Two main strategies in the professionals' interactions with patients are described. The strategy that aims at understanding the patients or families from the professional's own personal perspective oftentimes ends in excess attention to the professional's own reactions, thereby impairing the ability to help.The other strategy attempts to understand the patients or families from the patients' or families' own perspective. This latter strategy seems to make vulnerability bearable or even transform it into strength. Being sensitive to the vulnerability of the other may be a key to acting ethically.

International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being, 2020

Purpose: In this study, we explore the lived experiences of chronic illness in four groups of pat... more Purpose: In this study, we explore the lived experiences of chronic illness in four groups of patients; children with asthma, adolescents with diabetes, young adults with depression, and adult patients with chronic, obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Persons living with chronic illness are often designated as vulnerable. This study builds on the assumption that being vulnerable belongs to being human, and that vulnerability also might entail strength and possibilities for growth. Methods: A narrative analysis was undertaken to illuminate how experiences of vulnerability were narrated across the four patient groups, presenting four individual stories, one from each of the patient groups. Results/conclusion: The stories illuminate how living with a chronic illness implies differing capabilities and capacities dependent on the specific condition. At the same time the stories point to how various abilities and challenges in living with chronic illness can be alleviated or seen as resources. Considered together, the stories underscore how ´finding ways to carry on´ in chronic illness requires interpretational work. By calling upon resources among significant others, in the surroundings and in oneself, the narrator can find ways of interpreting living with chronic illness that might open towards a hopeful future.

Nursing Inquiry, Aug 16, 2022

This study explores the perceptions of Norwegian nurses who have received assisted dying requests... more This study explores the perceptions of Norwegian nurses who have received assisted dying requests from terminally ill patients. Assisted dying is illegal in Norway, while in some countries, it is an option. Nurses caring for terminally ill patients may experience ethical challenges by receiving requests for euthanasia and assisted suicide. We applied a qualitative research design with a phenomenological hermeneutic approach using open individual interviews. A total of 15 registered nurses employed in pulmonary and oncology wards of three university hospitals and home care in one municipality were recruited. Four themes emerged from the analysis: (1) unprepared for the request; (2) meeting direct, indirect, and nonverbal requests; (3) working in a gray zone, and (4) feeling alone and powerless. The study found that nurses were unsure how to handle such requests due to professional uncertainty about assisted dying. Working in an environment where the topic is taboo made nurses morally uncertain, and some perceived this as moral distress. The hospital chaplain played a significant role in providing support to these nurses.

Nursing, Jul 1, 2022

The purpose was to investigate: (a) Norwegian nurses' attitudes toward assisted dying, and (b) ho... more The purpose was to investigate: (a) Norwegian nurses' attitudes toward assisted dying, and (b) how much nurses receive requests from terminally ill patients for help in dying. Participants and Methods: A quantitative explorative study was conducted using a web-based cross-sectional survey to collect data. The survey was sent to a total of 734 eligible participants, and 205 clinical nurses participated by completing the survey. Data were analyzed using bivariate statistics and multivariate ordinal regression. Results: The study revealed that 56% of the participating nurses agreed with the statement that physician-assisted suicide should be allowed, and 48% supported legalization of euthanasia. Nurses in pulmonary wards were more positive about the legalization of physician-assisted suicide (OR = 2.98, CI = 1.34-6.66, p = 0.008) and euthanasia (OR = 3.51, CI = 1.58-7.81, p = 0.002) than nurses in oncological wards. Nurses over 30 years old held more negative attitudes about physician-assisted suicide than younger nurses (OR = 0.16, CI = 0.07-0.39, p < 0.001; and OR = 0.45, CI = 0.21-0.96, p = 0.038), and nurses with postgraduate education held more negative attitudes than nurses with a bachelor's degree (OR = 0.46, CI = 0.24-0.88, p = 0.019). A total of 118 nurses (58%) had received at least one request about assisted dying in their clinical practice. Conclusion: Our results provide insight into clinical nurses' attitudes toward assisted dying. Their attitudes were influenced by their age, education, and practice in different wards. Support for legalization of assisted dying is higher in the general Norwegian population than among nurses and receiving requests for assisted dying is not unusual for clinical nurses.

International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being, Jan 18, 2011

The aim of this paper was to explore the health professionals' experiences and gain a deeper ... more The aim of this paper was to explore the health professionals' experiences and gain a deeper understanding of interaction with families of critically ill or traumatized patients with severe brain injuries. The methodological approach was qualitative and phenomenological. Data were collected through participant observation and in-depth interviews with nurses, physicians, and chaplains working in two ICUs in a Norwegian university hospital. A thematic analysis was used for analyzing data. Two main themes emerged from analysis: Patient oriented even when present and Family oriented even when absent. Each main theme is divided into two sub-themes. The themes appeared as phases in an interaction process. In the two first phases the interaction may be characterized as Alternating between being absent and present and Following up and withholding information and in the two last phases as Turning point and changing focus and Partly present when waiting for death. The findings are in the ...

Nursing Ethics, 2014

Background: Organ donation and transplantation have made it possible to both save life and to imp... more Background: Organ donation and transplantation have made it possible to both save life and to improve the quality of life for a large number of patients. In the last years there has been an increasing gap between the number of patients who need organs and organs available for transplantation, and the focus worldwide has been on how to meet the organ shortage. This also rises some ethical challenges. Objective: The objective of this study was to explore healthcare professionals' experience of ethics related to care and interaction with critically ill patients with severe brain injuries and their families. Research design: A hermeneutic phenomenological approach was used to explore the participants' experiences. Methods for collecting data were a combination of participant observations and in-depth interviews. Participants and research context: Two ICUs in a Norwegian university hospital were recruited for data collection. A total of 12 cases were observed, and 32 of the healt...

Intensive and Critical Care Nursing, 2013

Nursing Philosophy, 2013

Vulnerability is a human condition and as such a constant human experience. However, patients and... more Vulnerability is a human condition and as such a constant human experience. However, patients and professional health care providers may be regarded as more vulnerable than people who do not suffer or witness suffering on a regular basis. Acquiring a deeper understanding of vulnerability would thus be of crucial importance for health care providers. This article takes as its point of departure Derek Sellman's and Havi Carel's discussion on vulnerability in this journal. Through different examples from the authors' research focusing on the interaction between health professionals and patients, existential, contextual, and relational dimensions of vulnerability are illuminated and discussed.Two main strategies in the professionals' interactions with patients are described. The strategy that aims at understanding the patients or families from the professional's own personal perspective oftentimes ends in excess attention to the professional's own reactions, thereby impairing the ability to help.The other strategy attempts to understand the patients or families from the patients' or families' own perspective. This latter strategy seems to make vulnerability bearable or even transform it into strength. Being sensitive to the vulnerability of the other may be a key to acting ethically.