Nurses’ experiences of health concerns, teamwork, leadership and knowledge transfer during an Ebola outbreak in West Africa

Abstract

Abstract Aim To describe nurses’ experiences of health concerns, teamwork, leadership and management and knowledge transfer during an Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Design The study has a qualitative descriptive design. Methods The 44 nurses who had worked in an Ebola Treatment Centre in Kenema in 2014 and 2015 were invited by email to respond to a questionnaire. The qualitative, open‐ended answers were analysed using a thematic analysis. Data have been coded systematically, with the identification of semantic patterns presented in four themes. Results The themes are as follows: personal health management—a way to feel safe and secure for delegates and affiliates; pre‐deployment training—crucial for a joint value base and future collaboration; the importance of a professional democratic approach and being a good role model; and the value of timely in‐depth knowledge transfer of experienced former delegates.

Keywords

• Ebola outbreak
• global nursing
• health concerns
• knowledge transfer
• leadership
• nurses