Journal of Medical Ethics and History of Medicine (Dec 2020)

Nurses' perception of ethical challenges in caring for patients with COVID-19: a qualitative analysis

  • Nasrin Reazee,
  • Marjan Mardani - Hamooleh,
  • Maryam Seraji

DOI
https://doi.org/10.18502/jmehm.v13i23.4954
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13

Abstract

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Nurses face several challenges in providing care for patients with coronavirus disease in 2019 (COVID-19). The study aimed to explain the nurses' perception of ethical challenges in this regard. The qualitative study was carried out using a content analysis method. Individual and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 nurses. Inductive content analysis was used to categorize the data. Nurses' narratives indicated that ethical challenges in caring for patients with COVID-19 included threats to professional values ​​and the absence of a holistic COVID-19 care approach. The first category was subcategorized into the risk of declining quality of patient care and a stigmatized public image about COVID-19 care. The second category was divided into poor spiritual care, poor compassionate care, and lack of family-centered care. Health care managers must develop protocols for nurses that address these issues to alleviate the ethical challenges of COVID-19 care.

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