Lived Experiences of Iranian ICU Nurses In The Care of Patients With Covid-19: A Phenomenological Study

Abstract

Background: Covid-19 pandemic with its sudden and widespread global outbreak has stunned health care systems. Nurses are at the forefront of fight against this pandemic, and Intensive care unit (ICU) nurses are more at risk of infection as they have a greater interaction with infected patients. Therefore, the present study was conducted to explore the lived experiences of Iranian ICU nurses in the care of patients with covid-19.Methods: This is an interpretive phenomenological study in which, 15 ICU nurses were purposefully selected. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were used to collect data. The transcripts of the interviews were recorded and then analyzed by Diekelmann (1989) method with hermeneutic approach.Results: Ten of the samples were female and five were male. The mean age of participants was 32 years and their average work experience in the intensive care unit was 6 years. Three main themes were obtained from data analysis, including beyond usual care, the emergence of a new image of nursing and the Realization of professional challenges. Conclusion: Working in difficult and unknown conditions with many challenges caused mental and physical depreciation of nurses in the intensive care unit. However, the nurses showed a spirit of self-sacrifice and did not give up their relentless efforts to fight this unknown enemy, and fulfilled their professional responsibilities to provide the best care to patients. By doing so, the nurses showed a new image of nursing to the society. Therefore, full support should be provided to healthcare workers, especially nurses by the authorities in order to prepare them to respond to unwanted crises.

Being A Hemodialysis Nurse During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Phenomenological Approach

“…Social isolation, the second theme in the study consisted of the sub-themes of restriction, loneliness and longing, and stigma. An in-depth investigation of the literature indicates similar results to our findings: nurses have negative emotions and go through social isolation and stigmatization; they thus stay away from others, live alone, and feel worthless (Kaçkın et al, 2021; Muz and Yüce Erdoğan, 2021; Shahmari et al, 2020). These emotions experienced by nurses may threaten patient safety by causing a deterioration in the quality of care.…”

“…Professionalism, the fifth theme determined in this study, was addressed in the sub-theme of commitment to the profession. An in-depth investigation of the literature indicates similar results to our findings: nurses are proud to be nurses, and they do not give up fighting even in the presence of chronic diseases and however difficult the circumstances (LoGiudice and Bartos, 2021; Shahmari et al, 2020); they love their profession, they continue to fulfill their professional responsibilities to provide the best care for their patients (Karimi et al, 2020; Muz and Yüce Erdoğan, 2021; Shahmari et al, 2020; Şimşek & Günay, 2021); and they try to maintain their role as carers even when that means risking their physical distance (Okuyan et al, 2020). The WHO stated that nurses and other healthcare professionals had also demonstrated their compassion and courage in the face of the epidemic (WHO, 2020).…”

“…The HD nurses in this study experienced shock, uncertainty, and ambivalent feelings when encountering COVID-19. An in-depth investigation of the literature indicates similar results to our findings: nurses caring for COVID-19 patients experienced shock at first, then uncertainty, anxiety, and fear of death due to not knowing the disease (Galehdar et al, 2020; Gordon et al, 2021; Kaçkın et al, 2021; Karimi et al, 2020; Lee and Lee, 2020; Okuyan et al, 2020; Shahmari et al, 2020). The results of this study show that providing psychological support to enable nurses to cope with the intense ambivalent emotions they experience is important for maintaining patient care and treatment in a healthy way.…”

The Challenges of Intensive Care Unit Nurses Caring for COVID-19 Patients in Indonesia: A Qualitative Study

“…Being sincere, fulfilling responsibilities, and not giving up are the keys to carrying out tasks; besides, participants always pray to God to start work and ask for care. According to Shahmari et al (2020), nurses showed the spirit of self-sacrifice and did not give up on providing the best care.…”

“…Nurses demonstrated a spirit of self-sacrifice and persisted in giving patients the finest care possible (Shahmari et al, 2020). Nurses' ability to provide care and professional commitment are related to nurses' spiritual health (Chiang et al, 2016).…”