Emergency Nursing Essentials in the Emergency Department (I-NEEDs PhD project)

This PhD project aims to explore emergency nursing by examining both its visible (bedside nursing) and invisible (coordination and system navigation) dimensions, and to identify the conditions and mechanisms that enable safe and effective nursing care in emergency departments.

The project consists of three interconnected studies using a multi-method design:

1. Scoping review

2. Observations and interviews

3. Delphi study with international experts

• Scoping review: Mapping and synthesising existing evidence on emergency nursing, focusing on visible and invisible tasks.
• Observations and interviews: Fieldwork in Danish EDs, including non-participant observations of nursing practice and semi-structured interviews with nurses, physicians, and patients. Thematic analysis will be applied.
• Delphi study: Structured, iterative survey with international expert nurses to achieve consensus on core emergency nursing tasks and priorities.

• Published research on emergency nursing (scoping review).
• Emergency nurses, physicians, and patients in Danish EDs (observations and interviews).
• International emergency nursing experts (Delphi study).

• Comprehensive overview of existing evidence on emergency nursing.
• In-depth understanding of visible and invisible nursing dimensions in clinical practice.
• Consensus on core emergency nursing tasks from an international perspective.
• Evidence to inform the future organisation, prioritisation, and professional development of ED nursing in Denmark and internationally.

The project will provide new knowledge with direct relevance for patients, clinicians, and the healthcare system. It will clarify how emergency nursing contributes to patient safety, quality of care, and efficient patient pathways, while strengthening the identity of ED nursing as a specialty in Denmark. The findings will support future policy, education, and research in this emerging field and foster collaboration with international leaders in emergency nursing.

• PhD student: Nanna Fauerholdt Skov, Aarhus University / Aarhus University Hospital
• Supervisors:
  • Associate Professor Marianne Lisby, Aarhus University
  • PhD Gitte Boier Thygesen, Regional Hospital Gødstrup
  • Associate Professor Katarina Göransson, Dalarna University, Karolinska Institute, and Karolinska University Hospital, Sweden.
  • Professor Julie Considine, Deakin University, Australia