Nurses\' experiences of caring for COVID-19 patients

Abstract

Objective(s): Caring for COVID-19 patients was a new and challenging experience for nurses. Knowing the effect of psychological, emotional, and spiritual care on physiological responses, nurses provided holistic care. Methods: This qualitative study was conducted with the conventional content analysis approach in one of the referral hospitals for COVID-19 in Iran. Data were collected using in-depth, semi-structured individual interviews. Data was analyzed using the Lundman and Granheim qualitative content analysis and the Lincoln and Goba criteria. Results: In all 17 nurses were interviewed. The mean age (SD) of participants was 34.41 ± 7.49 years. The findings indicated a "butterfly-like care" with four main categories [caring with all one's heart, resilience, self-sacrifice, and conscious presence in danger). Conclusion: During the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses, being aware of all the health and social consequences and overcoming fear and doubt, volunteered to take care of patients and save lives, and despite understanding the risk of being infected, they lovingly surrounded the patients. Considering the central role of nurses in the treatment team, special attention should be given to the maintenance and strengthening of nurses in the planning of the development of healthcare systems in the face of the upcoming epidemics.

Keywords

• nurse
• covid-19
• holistic care
• qualitative research