the lived experiences of intensive care patients on transfer to a general ward

background & aim: this study aimed to discover the lived experiences of patients transferred from the intensive care unit (icu) to a general ward, to reach a deeper understanding of this phenomenon.
methods & materials: this is a qualitative study with an interpretative phenomenological approach, which is conducted at hospitals affiliated to universities, and private hospitals of tehran in 2013. eighteen participants were purposefully selected for face-to-face and semi-structured interviews.
results: the findings revealed that the icu patients experienced various feelings during the process of transition to a general ward. in this regard, three main themes were identified: “happiness of return” (consisted of three subthemes: “return to living,” “return to family,” and “return to a general ward”); “separation anxiety” (consisted of two subthemes: “anxiety of separation from the equipment” and “anxiety of separation from icu staff”); and “spiritual development” (consisted of two subthemes: “being thankful to god” and “well-wishing toward others”).
conclusion: the findings of the present study showed that recognizing and focusing on each patient’s individual needs, emotions, and expectations is essential to provide more holistic and patient- centered care during the process of transition from icu to a general ward. accordingly, there is a potential need to develop structured and formal discharge planning in the clinical settings like iran where this topic has not been touched yet.