This study evaluated the communication experiences of critical care nurses while caring for patients in an intensive care unit setting. We have collected qualitative data from 16 critical care nurses working in the intensive care unit of a tertiary hospital in Seoul, Korea, through two focus-group discussions and four in-depth individual interviews. All interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim, and data were analyzed using the Colaizzi's method. Three themes of nurses' communication experiences were identified: facing unexpected communication difficulties, learning through trial and error, and recognizing communication experiences as being essential for care. Nurses recognized that communication is essential for quality care. Our findings indicate that critical care nurses should continuously aim to improve their existing skills regarding communication with patients and their care givers and acquire new communication skills to aid patient care.

While intensive care nurses experience unpredicted violence from patients and their visitors, they fail to cope well with the experience. The safe working environment of intensive care units is expected to contribute to quality care and an improvement of expertise in nursing.

Aim Exploring nurses' caring and communication experiences in COVID‐19 units. Background Frontline nurses play a critical role in providing 24‐h bedside nursing care to COVID‐19 patients. An in‐depth understanding of frontline nurses' lived experiences is necessary to establish appropriate nursing strategies during crises, such as the COVID‐19 pandemic. Methods Qualitative descriptive design with content analysis. Results Fifteen nurses were interviewed, and three themes were identified: central role of therapeutic communication, compassion that deepens naturally and expansion of professionalism in nursing. Conclusion The nurses proactively provided care for COVID‐19 patients, and they acknowledged and accepted their roles in protecting the lives and ensuring the health of their patients daily. The nurses' experiences in COVID‐19 units served as an opportunity for ruminating and rediscovering the meaning of nursing. Implications for Nursing Management Hospital policymakers and nurse managers should strive to resolve the communication‐related challenges faced by nurses. Standardizing and implementing effective communication strategies should be considered in nursing management.

Background A decline in cognition may limit patients' ability to effectively engage in self-care in those with heart failure (HF). However, several studies have shown no difference in self-care between HF patients with and without cognitive impairment. This may indicate that there are more salient factors associated with self-care in HF patients with cognitive impairment compared with those without cognitive impairment. Objective The aim of this study was to explore which factors are related to self-care based on the presence and absence of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) among patients with HF. Methods Patients with HF were recruited from outpatient settings. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment was used to screen for MCI. Self-care was measured with the Self-care of HF Index v.6.2. Two separate stepwise linear regressions were performed to identify which factors (HF knowledge, perceived control, functional status, multimorbidity, executive function, and social support) predicted self-care in HF patients with and without MCI. Results Of the 132 patients in this study, 36 (27.3%) had MCI. Self-care maintenance and management were associated with social support (β = 0.489) and executive function (β = 0.484), respectively, in patients with MCI. Perceived control was associated with both self-care maintenance and management in patients without MCI (βs = 0.404 and 0.262, respectively). Conclusion We found that social support and executive function were associated with self-care in HF patients with MCI, whereas perceived control was associated with self-care in HF patients with intact cognition. Clinicians should develop tailored interventions to enhance self-care by considering the distinct factors associated with self-care based on the presence or absence of MCI.