Surgical Nurses’ Experience of Hallway Healthcare

Abstract

Background Hallway healthcare refers to the provision of patient care in hospital hallways. Although traditionally associated with overcrowded emergency departments, it has increasingly extended into acute inpatient settings. Differences in the organization and delivery of care across healthcare settings highlight the need to examine nurses’ experiences of hallway healthcare within their specific clinical contexts. This study explored nurses’ experiences of hallway healthcare in acute surgical inpatient settings. Methods A qualitative study, guided by interpretive description, was used to explore the experiences of nurses working in surgical inpatient settings in Ontario, Canada. Purposeful sampling was used to recruit nine nurses with experience of hallway healthcare. Data were collected through individual semi-structured interviews and analyzed thematically to identify key patterns in the data. Results Three main themes were identified: Part of the Job, Constrained in Care and Voice, and Relational Disruption. Rather than a temporary strategy to facilitate patient flow, hallway healthcare had become normalized within participants’ practice. Driven by top-down organizational decisions, participants described providing care in environments they perceived as unsafe and inappropriate for delivering person-centred surgical care. These conditions heightened their concerns about patient safety, disrupted therapeutic and workplace relationships, and placed significant professional and emotional pressure on nurses. Conclusion This study provides new insights into nurses’ experiences of hallway healthcare in surgical inpatient settings. The findings highlight the need for organizational and system-level action to create healthy work environments that enable nurses to provide safe, person-centred care.