Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to explore the experiences of patients who received mechanical ventilation (MV) support during their intensive care unit (ICU) stay in Jordan. METHODS: A phenomenological hermeneutic approach was conducted, informed by the philosophy of Martin Heidegger. Fifteen patients participated in interviews regarding their experiences during their time in the critical care unit of three public hospitals in Jordan. Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to analyse the data. FINDINGS: The findings of the current study indicated that patients who received MV support during their ICU stays experienced both physical and psychological suffering. A pattern of shared experiences among intensive care patients was identified. Five main themes captured the patients' experiences: (1) feeling powerless, (2) being unable to recognise time, (3) feeling dead, (4) experiencing physical pain, and (5) having future concerns. CONCLUSION: The current study found that mechanically ventilated ICU patients suffer both physically and psychologically. Nurses should use specific strategies to relieve discomfort in addition to pain treatment. This is especially essential for non-verbal patients, whose actions may resemble those of their clinicians in pain.