Art in debrief: a small-scale three-step narrative inquiry into the use of art to facilitate emotional debriefing for undergraduate nurses

Abstract

Background The context of the research was in a setting where undergraduate nursing students spend 50% of their programme in clinical practice and 50% in a higher education institute. Research participants were undertaking the adult branch of nursing education. Aims • To explore emotional debriefing in relation to nursing practice. • To highlight the emotional concerns of the research participants regarding clinical placement. • To gain an insight into the use of art/creativity in emotional debriefing. Methods Narrative inquiry was used to gain an insight into, and a deeper understanding of, how undergraduate nurses feel about their clinical placement experiences. The research was carried out in three stages: the art intervention, a diary account of the art intervention, and a follow-up face-to-face discussion between each participant and the researcher. Results The findings suggest the intervention helped the participants to articulate and process their emotions. All participants acknowledged the importance of the three-step approach, with follow-up to the art intervention. Conclusions This research project has highlighted the potential value of a creative approach to emotional debriefing. A wider inclusion of the arts could be explored. Facilitation of emotional debriefing may help build resilience in undergraduate nurses. There is growing recognition for the need to foster resilience in undergraduate nursing student programmes.