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The Experiences Of Medically Fragile Adolescents Who Require Respiratory Assistance, Regena Spratling

Nursing Dissertations (PhD)

The population of medically fragile adolescents has grown in recent decades because of the sequelae of prematurity, injuries, and chronic or terminal illnesses. Medically fragile adolescents who require respiratory assistance are part of this unique population with challenges in their daily lives, yet as nurses, we know little about their experiences and the best approaches to use in caring for them. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of medically fragile adolescents who require respiratory assistance.

Interpretive phenomenology was used to describe and interpret the experience of 11 medically fragile adolescents who required respiratory assistance. The adolescents …