“Goodbye … Through a Glass Door”: Emotional Experiences of Working in COVID-19 Acute Care Hospital Environments

Abstract

Background The severity of the COVID-19 health crisis has placed acute care nurses in dire work environments in which they have had to deal with uncertainty, loss, and death on a constant basis. It is necessary to gain a better understanding of nurses’ experiences to develop interventions supportive of their emotional well-being. Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore how nurses are emotionally affected working in COVID-19 acute care hospital environments. The research question is: What is the emotional experience of nurses working in COVID-19 acute care hospital environments? Methods We employed a narrative methodology that focused on participants’ stories. Twenty registered nurses, who worked in six hospitals in the Greater Toronto Area in Canada, participated in interviews. A narrative analysis was conducted with a focus on content and form of stories. Results We identified three themes about working in COVID-19 acute care hospital environments: the emotional experience, the agency of emotions, and how emotions shape nursing and practice. Conclusion In moving forth with pandemic preparations, healthcare leaders and governments need to make sure that a nurse’s sacrifice is not all-encompassing. Supporting nurses’ emotional well-being and resilience is necessary to counterbalance the loss and trauma nurses go through.

Everyone is Someone's Child: The Experiences of Pediatric Nurses Caring for Adult COVID-19 Patients

“…The emotional response that evolved out of participants' experiences is not unique to pediatric nurses grappling with an adult pandemic. The findings of this study are consistent with adult acute care and critical care nurses' experiences caring for COVID-19 patients; nurses around the world shared the same uncertainty with the frequently changing guidelines, the same helplessness watching patients deteriorate, the same stress and emotional exhaustion, and the same worry of becoming exposed and exposing others ( Iheduru-Anderson, 2020 ; Lapum, Nguyen, Fredericks, et al, 2021 ; LoGiudice & Bartos, 2021 ; Schroeder et al, 2020 ). Nurses underwent significant changes in their practices and battled a virus that had no consistency in scientific understanding, all while risking their own lives ( LoGiudice & Bartos, 2021 ).…”

“…A concern shared by almost all participants was the lack of proper PPE. Nurses feared contamination, exposure, and illness ( Iheduru-Anderson, 2020 ; Lapum, Nguyen, Fredericks, et al, 2021 ; LoGiudice & Bartos, 2021 ). With a nationwide shortage of the essential PPE, institutions followed the CDC (2020b) guidelines to optimize use of PPE, which advised healthcare workers to extend the use and reuse PPE.…”

“…While this practice optimized supply of PPE, it did not ensure the supply. The possibility of running out of PPE exacerbated the fear and worry nurses already had as they recycled equipment intended for single use ( Lapum, Nguyen, Fredericks, et al, 2021 ).…”

“…With serious widespread disease, increasing demands on health systems, and scarcity of resources, nurses are amongst those working on the frontlines. As they care for a surge of patients, a myriad of emotions pervaded nurses from frustration and uncertainty to acceptance and resilience ( Fernandez et al, 2020 ; Lapum, Nguyen, Fredericks, et al, 2021 ). For many, fear of contagion and inadvertent disease transmission emanated, and feelings of isolation and loneliness followed ( Fernandez et al, 2020 ; Lapum, Nguyen, Fredericks, et al, 2021 ; LoGiudice & Bartos, 2021 ).…”

“…As they care for a surge of patients, a myriad of emotions pervaded nurses from frustration and uncertainty to acceptance and resilience ( Fernandez et al, 2020 ; Lapum, Nguyen, Fredericks, et al, 2021 ). For many, fear of contagion and inadvertent disease transmission emanated, and feelings of isolation and loneliness followed ( Fernandez et al, 2020 ; Lapum, Nguyen, Fredericks, et al, 2021 ; LoGiudice & Bartos, 2021 ). Yet, amidst the challenges of weathering a new disease, a systematic review on nurses' pandemic experiences revealed they remained committed to providing quality patient care ( Fernandez et al, 2020 ).…”