The Communication Challenges and Strength of Nurses’ Intensive Corona Care during the Two First Pandemic Waves: A Qualitative Descriptive Phenomenology Study

Abstract

Intensive care nurses working with patients with severe COVID-19 illness are at the center and frontline of the dynamic pandemic, which poses communication challenges and demands of unusual strength on their part. The study aim was to capture the lived experience of intensive care COVID nurses’ communication challenges and strengths as they cared for COVID-19 intensive care patients during the two first pandemic waves. The study used qualitative descriptive-phenomenology research designs. Twenty-two nurses were selected using snowball sampling, and online interviews were conducted with them. Data were recorded and transcribed, then reflexively double-coded for increased rigor. Four major themes emerged from the data. The first two expressed the communication challenges and difficulties communicating with patients due to the extreme protection needed and/or their medical condition. However, the other two themes expressed the nurses’ strengths—sharing feelings with other caregivers and family. Accordingly, we recommend using simple language and ensuring patient comprehension, as well as creating an optimistic environment for fostering caregiver bonding.

Experiences of nurses providing care for patients with COVID‐19 in acute care settings in the early stages of the pandemic: A thematic meta‐synthesis study

“…We deal with this thing together, as a group. We had some sort of powerful consolidation among the staff, and that's really what made the work we did together easier, that's what helped.” (Green et al, 2022)…”

“…“At the beginning of the pandemic, I felt a great struggle with the communication with patients, however as time went on I also started to see the positive side regarding my ability to communicate with the staff … suddenly they started to understand me almost without any words, it improves my work with them. We became a winning team.” (Green et al, 2022)…”

“…We had some sort of powerful consolidation among the staff, and that's really what made the work we did together easier, that's what helped." (Green et al, 2022) "I realized that we were a tightly knit team and that we listened to each other a lot" (Kentish-Barnes et al, 2021)…”

“…We became a winning team." (Green et al, 2022) "Yes, I really believe that the pandemic has touched our hearts, and we try to do our best, to provide the strength and basic nursing care; administration of medications, comfort measures, education and trying to apply the protocols" (Hinojoza et al, 2021) "For me personally, I found it very difficult to deal with the decisions to withdraw treatment in patients whose families I had not been able to see and discuss the situation with. And that was hard because, for example, when we extubated patients, the first terminal extubations, I didn't feel like I could tell the family."…”

Conducting and Writing Quantitative and Qualitative Research

“…23 25 28 30 A summary of the features, writing approach, and examples of published articles for each type of qualitative and quantitative research is shown in Table 1 . 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 …”