A Study of Nurses’ Stress Management in Facing and Caring for COVID-19 Patients: A Qualitative Content Analysis

Abstract

Background Being in the frontline of the battle against COVID-19, nurses need to be capable of stress management to maintain their physical and psychological well-being in the face of a variety of stressors. The present study aims to explore the challenges, strategies, and outcomes of stress management in nurses who face and provide care to COVID-19 patients. Methods The present study is a qualitative descriptive work that was conducted in teaching hospitals affiliated with Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Iran, from June 2020 to March 2021. Fourteen nurses who were in practice in units assigned to COVID-19 patients were selected via purposeful sampling. Data were collected through semi-structured, individual interviews conducted online. The collected data were analyzed using MAXQDA 10 according to the conventional content analysis method suggested by Graneheim and Lundman. Results The data collected in the interviews resulted in 14 subcategories under 4 main categories: providing care with uncertainty and anxiety, facing psychological and mental tension, creating a context for support, and experiencing personal-professional growth. Conclusions Despite their concern over contracting the infection and transmitting it to their families, nurses feel compelled to provide professional care to patients under all circumstances. Work overload and working in exhausting conditions lead to nurses’ physical and psychological burnout, thus their need for the support of authorities and their families. Based on the nurses’ experiences, the primary outcomes of caring for COVID-19 patients are personal growth and professional empowerment.