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 analysis resulted in the formulation of three categories and 10 subcategories describing how nurse practitioners feel confident and competent in treating physical injuries due to NSSI but at the same time insecure about how to provide adequate care and engage in conversations about NSSI and mental wellbeing with people with NSSI. An overarching theme, ‘Left with a Sisyphean task’, reflects the nurses’ feeling of being handed the responsibility for performing a laborious, never-ending, and futile task. CONCLUSION: The findings indicate that nurse practitioners feel confident and competent in treating physical injuries due to NSSI but insecure about how to provide adequate care. Therefore, there is a need for training and guidelines. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12873-023-00888-6.