https://www.mdu.se/

Background: The aim of this study was to explore difficulties at work fromanaesthetists’ own perspective and to examine how anaesthetistshandle and cope with situations that are perceived as difficultand potentially stressful.

Methods: Two sets of interviews were conducted with 19 specialist anaesthetistsin Sweden. The first set of interviews aimed at finding howthe anaesthetists experienced difficulties at work. It consistedof in-depth interviews based on one open-ended question. Weanalysed the interviews with a phenomenological method, lookingfor themes in anaesthetists’ descriptions of difficultiesat work. In the second set, the interviews were semi-structuredwith open-ended questions, based on themes found in the firstinterview set. These interviews aimed at exploring how the intervieweesdescribed their ways of handling difficulties and how they copedwith potentially stressful situations.

Results: Analysis of the first set of interviews resulted in five themes,describing how the anaesthetists experienced difficulties atwork. All interviewees talked about difficulties related tomore than one of the themes. The second set of interviews revealedtwo main categories of ways of handling difficulties. First,problem solving consisted of descriptions of methods for handlingdifficult situations which aimed at solving problems, and second,coping strategies described ways of appraising potentially stressfulsituations that minimized stress, despite the problem not beingsolved.

Conclusions: The anaesthetists interviewed in this study maintained thatthey enjoyed work and could see no external obstacles to doinga good job. They had arrived at a reconciliation of their workwith its inherent difficulties and problems. Getting accessto their coping strategies might help young anaesthetists tocome to terms with their work.