Nurses' perceptions of care during wartime: a qualitative study

This study explains nurses' experiences and views on the care of injured soldiers during the Iraq-Iran war (1980-1988) and the effect of this care on these nurses.

Many studies on war suggest nurses' experiences physical and psychological trauma. Knowing the nurses' experiences can assist healthcare systems and the nursing profession to identify unknown threats.

War is a specific phenomenon. After soldiers, nurses are one of the first professions to engage in the phenomenon when it occurs.

A descriptive qualitative approach was used along with conventional content analysis. Data collected in 2014 from semi-structured interviews of 14 nurses who were selected through purposive sampling.

Two themes (Care in the war, a different culture and concept and Care achievements during the war) and six subthemes (Unusual working conditions, Different work spirit, A real but informal classroom, Professional self-achievements, Outcomes for the professional community, The changed self) emerged from the data.

A range of environmental factors and conditions, mental and emotional problems and the outcomes of war were identified.

This study emphasizes the importance of being prepared for such crises and using the previous experiences of nurses who served in war time for training future nurses.