Left with a Sisyphean task – the experiences of nurse practitioners with treating non-suicidal self-injury in the emergency department: a descriptive qualitative study

Background: Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a prevalent phenomenon in somatic emergency departments, where nurses are the most consistent group of healthcare professionals who treat people with NSSI, which means they may affect the NSSI trajectory and help-seeking in the future. The objective of this study was to describe the experiences of nurse practitioners with treatment of people presenting with NSSI in the emergency department. Methods: Individual, semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with seventeen purposefully recruited nurse practitioners from three emergency departments in the Capital Region of Denmark. Interview transcripts were analysed using inductive content analysis, as described by Graneheim and Lundman. Results: The manifest content analysis resulted in the formulation of three categories and 10 subcategories indicating that nurse practitioners feel confident and competent in treating physical injuries due to NSSI but insecure about how to provide adequate care and engage in conversations about NSSI and mental wellbeing with people with NSSI. The underlying meaning of the content was interpreted and formulated as the latent theme 'Left with a Sisyphean task’, which reflects the nurses’ feeling of being handed the responsibility for performing a laborious, never-ending, and futile task. Conclusion: Providing nurse practitioners with training and guidelines specifically tailored to NSSI to direct their decision making and enhance their confidence in their interactions with people with NSSI appears warranted.