• Isabelle Doohan and Britt-Inger Saveman.
• Department of Surgery and Perioperative Sciences, Section of Surgery, Umeå University, SE-90187 Umeå, Sweden; Department of Nursing, Umeå University, SE-90187 Umeå, Sweden. Electronic address: isabelle.doohan@umu.se.
• Int Emerg Nurs. 2015 Apr 1; 23 (2): 115-9.

AimTo explore the survivors' experiences after a major bus crash.BackgroundSurvivors' experiences of emergency care after transportation related major incidents are relatively unexplored, with research involving survivors mainly focused on pathological aspects or effects of crisis support.MethodsSemi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with 54 out of 56 surviving passengers 5 years after a bus crash in Sweden. Interviews were analyzed using qualitative content analysis.ResultsPrehospital discomfort, lack of compassionate care, dissatisfaction with crisis support and satisfactory initial care and support are the categories. Lack of compassion in emergency departments was identified as a main finding. Lack of compassion caused distress among survivors and various needs for support were not met. Survivors' desire to be with their fellow survivors the day of the crash was not facilitated after arriving at emergency departments.ConclusionsConnectedness among survivors ought to be promoted upon arrival at emergency departments. There is a need for emergency department professionals to be sufficiently educated in compassionate care.Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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