Experiences of intensive care nurses working with patients with COVID-19: A qualitative study in Turkey
Abstract
Background & Aim: The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted healthcare systems. Nurses were deeply affected physically, psychologically, and socially. This study was conducted to examine the experiences and perceptions of intensive care nurses who provide care for patients with COVID-19 during the pandemic process.
Methods & Materials: This qualitative study was conducted using the content analysis approach. This research was carried out with 11 nurses working in the intensive care unit and caring for COVID-19 patients between May and September 2021. Purposive sampling method was used to include nurses in the study. The data of the research were collected with an eight-question semi-structured interview form and in-depth interview technique. The data were analyzed by using the content analysis method.
Results: The six main categories identified in this study were challenging working conditions, tiredness, isolation and loneliness, fear, and helplessness, lack of management support, and expectations and needs.
Conclusion: This study has shown that intensive care nurses who care for COVID-19 patients in Turkey are greatly adversely affected physically, psychologically, and socially by the pandemic process. In this process, it is extremely important to improve the financial and moral support for nurses. Policymakers and managers should try to reduce the physical, psychological, and social impacts of the pandemic on nurses by focusing on their experience and taking appropriate action.
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15. Häussl A, Ehmann E, Pacher A, Knödl K, Huber T, Neundlinger L, et al. Psychological, physical, and social effects of the COVID‐19 pandemic on hospital nurses. International Nursing Review. 2021;68(4):482-92.
16. Joo JY, Liu MF. Nurses’ barriers to caring for patients with COVID‐19: a qualitative systematic review. International Nursing Review. 2021;68(2):202-13.
17. Galehdar N, Toulabi T, Kamran A, Heydari H. Exploring nurses' perception of taking care of patients with coronavirus disease (COVID‐19): A qualitative study. Nursing Open. 2021;8(1):171-9.
18. Gordon JM, Magbee T, Yoder LH. The experiences of critical care nurses caring for patients with COVID-19 during the 2020 pandemic: A qualitative study. Applied Nursing Research. 2021;59:151418.
19. Moradi Y, Baghaei R, Hosseingholipour K, Mollazadeh F. Challenges experienced by ICU nurses throughout the provision of care for COVID‐19 patients: A qualitative study. Journal of Nursing Management. 2021;29(5):1159-68.
20. Akkuş Y, Karacan Y, Güney R, Kurt B. Experiences of nurses working with COVID‐19 patients: A qualitative study. Journal of Clinical Nursing. 2021;31(9-10):1243-57.
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23. Rossi R, Socci V, Pacitti F, Di Lorenzo G, Di Marco A, Siracusano A, et al. Mental health outcomes among frontline and second-line health care workers during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Italy. JAMA Network Open. 2020;3(5):e2010185.
24. Kackin O, Ciydem E, Aci OS, Kutlu FY. Experiences and psychosocial problems of nurses caring for patients diagnosed with COVID-19 in Turkey: A qualitative study. International Journal of Social Psychiatry. 2021;67(2):158-67.
25. Kalateh Sadati A, Zarei L, Shahabi S, Heydari ST, Taheri V, Jiriaei R, et al. Nursing experiences of COVID‐19 outbreak in Iran: A qualitative study. Nursing Open. 2021;8(1):72-9.
26. Kim J. Nurses' experience of middle east respiratory syndrome patients care. Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society. 2017;18(10):185-96.
27. Park J-S, Lee E-H, Park N-R, Choi YH. Mental health of nurses working at a government-designated hospital during a MERS-CoV outbreak: A cross-sectional study. Archives of psychiatric nursing. 2018;32(1):2-6.
28. Al-Tammemi AaB. The battle against COVID-19 in Jordan: an early overview of the Jordanian experience. Frontiers in Public Health. 2020:188.
29. Xiang Y-T, Yang Y, Li W, Zhang L, Zhang Q, Cheung T, et al. Timely mental health care for the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak is urgently needed. The Lancet Psychiatry. 2020;7(3):228-9.
30. Catania G, Zanini M, Hayter M, Timmins F, Dasso N, Ottonello G, et al. Lessons from Italian front‐line nurses' experiences during the COVID‐19 pandemic: A qualitative descriptive study. Journal of Nursing Management. 2021;29(3):404-11.
2. Hoogendoorn M, Brinkman S, Bosman R, Haringman J, de Keizer N, Spijkstra J. The impact of COVID-19 on nursing workload and planning of nursing staff on the Intensive Care: A prospective descriptive multicenter study. International Journal of Nursing Studies. 2021;121:104005.
3. Lai J, Ma S, Wang Y, Cai Z, Hu J, Wei N, et al. Factors associated with mental health outcomes among health care workers exposed to coronavirus disease 2019. JAMA Network open. 2020;3(3):e203976-e.
4. Liang Y, Chen M, Zheng X, Liu J. Screening for Chinese medical staff mental health by SDS and SAS during the outbreak of COVID-19. Journal of Psychosomatic Research. 2020;133:110102.
5. Grasselli G, Pesenti A, Cecconi M. Critical care utilization for the COVID-19 outbreak in Lombardy, Italy: Early experience and forecast during an emergency response. JAMA Network Open. 2020;323(16):1545-6.
6. Sugg HV, Russell A-M, Morgan LM, Iles-Smith H, Richards DA, Morley N, et al. Fundamental nursing care in patients with the SARS-CoV-2 virus: results from the ‘COVID-NURSE’mixed methods survey into nurses’ experiences of missed care and barriers to care. BMC Nursing. 2021;20:1-17.
7. Fernandez R, Lord H, Halcomb E, Moxham L, Middleton R, Alananzeh I, et al. Implications for COVID-19: A systematic review of nurses’ experiences of working in acute care hospital settings during a respiratory pandemic. International Journal of Nursing Studies. 2020;111:103637.
8. Mortensen CB, Zachodnik J, Caspersen SF, Geisler A. Healthcare professionals’ experiences during the initial stage of the COVID-19 pandemic in the intensive care unit: A qualitative study. Intensive Critical Care Nursing. 2022;68:103130.
9. Crowe S, Howard AF, Vanderspank-Wright B, Gillis P, McLeod F, Penner C, et al. The effect of COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of Canadian critical care nurses providing patient care during the early phase pandemic: A mixed method study. Intensive and Critical Care Nursing. 2021;63:102999.
10. Tong A, Sainsbury P, Craig J. Consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ): a 32-item checklist for interviews and focus groups. International Journal for Quality in Health Care. 2007;19(6):349-57.
11. Braun V, Clarke V. Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology. 2006;3(2):77-101.
12. Speziale HS, Streubert HJ, Carpenter DR. Qualitative research in nursing: Advancing the humanistic imperative: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2011.
13. Lucchini A, Giani M, Elli S, Villa S, Rona R, Foti G. Nursing Activities Score is increased in COVID-19 patients. Intensive Critical Care Nursing. 2020;59:102876.
14. Sezgin D, Dost A, Esin MN. Experiences and perceptions of Turkish intensive care nurses providing care to Covid‐19 patients: A qualitative study. International Nursing Review. 2021.
15. Häussl A, Ehmann E, Pacher A, Knödl K, Huber T, Neundlinger L, et al. Psychological, physical, and social effects of the COVID‐19 pandemic on hospital nurses. International Nursing Review. 2021;68(4):482-92.
16. Joo JY, Liu MF. Nurses’ barriers to caring for patients with COVID‐19: a qualitative systematic review. International Nursing Review. 2021;68(2):202-13.
17. Galehdar N, Toulabi T, Kamran A, Heydari H. Exploring nurses' perception of taking care of patients with coronavirus disease (COVID‐19): A qualitative study. Nursing Open. 2021;8(1):171-9.
18. Gordon JM, Magbee T, Yoder LH. The experiences of critical care nurses caring for patients with COVID-19 during the 2020 pandemic: A qualitative study. Applied Nursing Research. 2021;59:151418.
19. Moradi Y, Baghaei R, Hosseingholipour K, Mollazadeh F. Challenges experienced by ICU nurses throughout the provision of care for COVID‐19 patients: A qualitative study. Journal of Nursing Management. 2021;29(5):1159-68.
20. Akkuş Y, Karacan Y, Güney R, Kurt B. Experiences of nurses working with COVID‐19 patients: A qualitative study. Journal of Clinical Nursing. 2021;31(9-10):1243-57.
21. American Nurses Association A. NEW Pulse of the Nation’s Nurses Survey Series: Mental Health and Wellness. (2021, 13 October). Available from: https://www.nursingworld.org/ana/.
22. Giannis D, Geropoulos G, Matenoglou E, Moris D. Impact of coronavirus disease 2019 on healthcare workers: Beyond the risk of exposure. Postgraduate Medical Journal. 2021;97(1147):326-8.
23. Rossi R, Socci V, Pacitti F, Di Lorenzo G, Di Marco A, Siracusano A, et al. Mental health outcomes among frontline and second-line health care workers during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Italy. JAMA Network Open. 2020;3(5):e2010185.
24. Kackin O, Ciydem E, Aci OS, Kutlu FY. Experiences and psychosocial problems of nurses caring for patients diagnosed with COVID-19 in Turkey: A qualitative study. International Journal of Social Psychiatry. 2021;67(2):158-67.
25. Kalateh Sadati A, Zarei L, Shahabi S, Heydari ST, Taheri V, Jiriaei R, et al. Nursing experiences of COVID‐19 outbreak in Iran: A qualitative study. Nursing Open. 2021;8(1):72-9.
26. Kim J. Nurses' experience of middle east respiratory syndrome patients care. Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society. 2017;18(10):185-96.
27. Park J-S, Lee E-H, Park N-R, Choi YH. Mental health of nurses working at a government-designated hospital during a MERS-CoV outbreak: A cross-sectional study. Archives of psychiatric nursing. 2018;32(1):2-6.
28. Al-Tammemi AaB. The battle against COVID-19 in Jordan: an early overview of the Jordanian experience. Frontiers in Public Health. 2020:188.
29. Xiang Y-T, Yang Y, Li W, Zhang L, Zhang Q, Cheung T, et al. Timely mental health care for the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak is urgently needed. The Lancet Psychiatry. 2020;7(3):228-9.
30. Catania G, Zanini M, Hayter M, Timmins F, Dasso N, Ottonello G, et al. Lessons from Italian front‐line nurses' experiences during the COVID‐19 pandemic: A qualitative descriptive study. Journal of Nursing Management. 2021;29(3):404-11.
| Files | ||
| Issue | Vol 10 No 2 (2023): Spring | |
| Section | Original Article(s) | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.18502/npt.v10i2.12833 | |
| Keywords | ||
| COVID-19; ıntensive care units; nursing experience; qualitative studies | ||
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. |
How to Cite
1.
Gürsoy E, Yesildere Saglam H, Şimal Yavuz N. Experiences of intensive care nurses working with patients with COVID-19: A qualitative study in Turkey. NPT. 2023;10(2):124-137.
