Experiences of critical care nurses fighting against COVID-19: A qualitative phenomenological study

This study sought to describe the experiences of critical care nurses caring for patients infected by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

A qualitative phenomenological design was used.

We enrolled 15 nurses who provided care for patients infected by COVID-19 purposively and through snowballing, using a phenomenological approach in critical care units of Iran's public hospitals between May and June 2020. The semi-structured interviews were carried out either via face-to-face or telephone and were analyzed using the 7-step method of Colaizzi.

The experiences of nurses caring for patients infected with COVID-19 were categorized into four challenges, including psychological (eight subthemes), organizational (six subthemes), social (six subthemes), and professional (five subthemes). In general, based on the current classification, there seems to be a mixture of positive and negative effects on the psychological, social, and professional challenges and the negative effect only on the organizational challenges.

Positive and negative emotions and experiences have coexisted for the critical care nurses since the COVID-19 outbreak. Emotional support and psychological counseling play an important role in maintaining nurses' optimal mental health during the COVID-19 crisis. Adequate protective equipment, financial and nonfinancial supports, effective communication, training and hiring of staff, and appropriate work shifts are also required to reduce nurses' negative experiences when providing care for the affected individuals.