Facing Patient Mortality: Internal to External Locus of Control

HOLYANGELUNTYERSITY

HOIY A}IGEI

I]NTVERSITY

GRADUATE

SCHOOT OF N{.JRSING

Second Trimester School Year 2012 - ²⁰¹³

Facing Patient Mortality:

Understanding the Transition from Internal to External ^Locus of Control

among ICU Nurses

A

SPECIAI

^PROIECT

Presented to

the

Graduate School

Holy Aogel University

In

Partial

Fulfillment

of

the

Requirements

for the

^Degree Master of Science

in Nursing Major in Administrative Nursing

Byt

RO)G}I M.

TOPEZ

HOLYANGELUNTVERSITY

Facing Patient Mortality:

Und.erstanding

The Locus of Control Shift in ICU Nurses

Abstract

In the

intensive care

unit,

nurses ocperience patient death and deterioration numerous times. During this, a nurse of internal locus of control may feel a shift towards

a more e>rternal one. This study was made to decribe this phenomenon of locrrs of control shifting, and

how it

^happens

with ICU

nurses. Information gathered were from

interviews of five purposively-selected Filipino ICU nurses. Following Colaizzi's method,

data was transcribed and studied. Themes were formed from common concepts, and the results were validated.

It

^was found that the locus of control shift does happen with internally-inclined nurses during a patient's deterioration or death. Two themes were formed from results. First, was

that

conditions lead

to the

eventual shift, and four

subthemes were formed under

it,

these are: a)when the ^prognosis is poor, b)when tJle relatives give up, c)when the doctor calls

it,

and d)when the sources are limited. The second theme comprised

of

the beliefs

in

shifting

to

an ercternal Locus

of

Control.

Subthemes under this were: a)"God's

will",

and b)the belief that there is a "time" for

everyone. Understanding this leads to a deeper understanding of what an ICU nurse goes through when dealing with patient mortality and would thus help with the readiness of

aspiring ICU nurses.

KEYWORDS: locus of control, intensive care nursing, patient mortality, locus of control shift