• Jonas Karlsson, Thomas Eriksson, Berit Lindahl, Kristina Schildmeijer, and Isabell Fridh.
• Faculty of Caring Science, Work Life and Social Welfare, University of Borås, 501 90 Borås, Sweden. Electronic address: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4844-5266.
• Intensive Crit Care Nurs. 2020 Dec 1; 61: 102923.

ObjectiveTo explore critical care nurses' lived experiences of transferring intensive care patients between hospitals.MethodsA phenomenological hermeneutic approach using data generated through individual interviews with 11 critical care registered nurses.SettingTwo general intensive care units in Sweden.FindingsFive themes were identified: it depends on me; your care makes a difference; being exposed; depending on interprofessional relationships; and sensing professional growth. These themes were synthesised into a comprehensive understanding showing how transferring intensive care patients between hospitals meant being on an ambivalent journey together with the patient but also on a journey within yourself in your own development and growth, where you, as a nurse, constantly are torn between contradictory feelings and experiences.ConclusionInterhospital intensive care unit-to-unit transfers can be a challenging task for critical care nurses but also an important opportunity for professional growth. During the transfer, nurses become responsible for the patient, their colleagues and the entire transfer process. In a time of an increasing number of interhospital intensive care unit-to-unit transfers, this study illuminates the risk for missed nursing care, showing that the critical care nurse has an important role in protecting the patient from harm and safeguarding dignified care.Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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