Experiences of nurses during COVID-19 pandemic: An interpretative phenomenological analysis study

Year 2023, Volume: 4 Issue: 1, 77 - 87, 31.01.2023

Arzu Erkoç , Nuray Turan , Sibel Üren

https://doi.org/10.51972/tfsd.1120894

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the experiences of intensive care nurses who cared for patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19.
Material and Methods: The research was carried out with nurses. Data collection included in-depth interviews conducted between June-August 2020. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed using the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis
Results: Three main themes emerged: (a) nurses' compliance with the process; (b) factors affecting motivation; and (c) emotional responses observed in patients. While challenging situations, increase in workload, and situations that cause anxiety were the factors that negatively affected nurses' motivation to work, awareness/empathic behavior and flexible working hours were the factors that positively affected the motivation to work.
Conclusion: Intensive care nurses make great efforts to prevent transmission from patients with COVID-19. It is thought that nurses should be supported in terms of the factors that negatively affect their motivation to work. It is considered that nurses' awareness/empathic behaviors affected their perceptions of the patients' fear of death and feeling of helplessness.

Keywords

COVID-19, experience, nurse, phenomenological

References

• Al Thobaity, A., Alshammari, F. (2020). Nurses on the frontline against the COVID-19 pandemic: An integrative review. Dubai Medical Journal, 3, 87-92. https://dx.doi.org/10.1159/000509361
• Boškoski, I., Gallo, C., Wallace, M.B. et al. (2020). COVID-19 pandemic and personal protective equipment shortage: Protective efficacy comparing masks and scientific methods for respirator reuse. Gastrointest Endoscopy, 92(3), 519–523. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gie.2020.04.048
• Chan, J.F.W., Yuan, S., Kok, K.H. et al. (2020). A familial cluster of pneumonia associated with the 2019 novel coronavirus indicating person-to-person transmission: a study of a family cluster. Lancet, 395(10223), 514-523. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30154-9
• Charlick, S., Pincombe, J., McKellar, L. et al. (2016). Making sense of participant experiences: Interpretative phenomenological analysis in midwifery research. International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 11, 205-216. http://www.informingscience.org/Publications/3486
• Chen, S.C., Lai, Y.H., Tsay, S.L. (2020). Nursing perspectives on the impacts of COVID-19. Journal of Nursing Research, 28(3), e85. doi: 10.1097/jnr.0000000000000389
• Chen, C.S., Wu, H.Y., Yang, P. et al. (2005). Psychological distress of nurses in Taiwan who worked during the outbreak of SARS. Psychiatric Services, 56(1), 76–79. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.56.1.76
• Erdogan, S., Nahcivan N, Esin N. (2020). Hemşirelikte Araştırma: Süreç, uygulama ve kritik (4th ed.). Istanbul: Nobel Tıp Kitabevleri.
• Fernandez-Castillo, R., Gonzalez-Caro, M., Porcel-Galvez, A. (2021). Intensive care nurses’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study. Nursing in Critical Care, 26(5), 397-406. https://doi.org/10.1111/nicc.12589
• Galehdar, N., Kamran, A., Toulabi, T. et al. (2020). Exploring nurses’ experiences of psychological distress during care of patients with COVID-19: A qualitative study. BMC Psychiatry, 20(1), 489. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-020-02898-1
• Goh, Y., Tan, B.Y.Q., Bhartendu, C. et al. (2020). The face mask: How a real protection becomes a psychological symbol during Covid-19?. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 88, 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2020.05.060
• Goktepe, N., Turkmen, E., Bozkurt, G. et al. (2021). The views of critical care nurses participating in an adult intensive care nursing certification program. Turkish Journal of Intensive Care, 19, 123-30 DOI: 10.4274/tybd.galenos.2020.58076
• Guerrero-Cantaneda, R.F., Oliva Menezes, T.M., Prado, M.L. (2019). Phenomenology in nursing research: reflection based on Heidegger’s hermeneutics. Escola Anna Nery, 23(4), e20190059. https://doi.org/10.1590/2177-9465-EAN-2019-0059
• Halcomb, E., McInnes, S., Williams, A. et al. (2020). The experiences of primary healthcare nurses during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Australia. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 52(5), 553-563. https://doi.org/10.1111/jnu.12589
• Holshue, M.L., DeBolt, C., Lindquist, S. et al. (2020). First case of 2019 novel coronavirus in the United States. New England Journal of Medicine, 382, 929–936. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2001191
• Horrigan-Kelly, M., Millar, M., Dowling, M. (2016). Understanding the key tenets of Heidegger’s philosophy for interpretive phenomenological research. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 15(1), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406916680634
• Jack, K., Wibberley, C. (2014). The meaning of emotion work to student nurses: A Heideggerian analysis. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 51(6), 900-907. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2013.10.009
• Karimi, Z., Fereidouni, Z., Behnammoghadam, M. et al. (2020). The lived experience of nurses caring for patients with COVID-19 in Iran: A phenomenological study. Risk Management and Healthcare Policy, 13, 1271–1278. doi: 10.2147/RMHP.S258785
• Khalid, I., Khalid, T.J., Qabajah, M.R. et al. (2016). Healthcare workers emotions, perceived stressors and coping strategies during a MERS-CoV outbreak. Clinical Medicine Research, 14(1), 7–14. doi:10.3121/cmr.2016.1303
• Kıraner, E., Terzi, B., Turkmen, E. et al. (2020). Experiences of Turkish Intensive Care Nurses in the COVID-19 Outbreak. Journal of Education and Research in Nursing, 17(3), 284–286. GALE|A639265806
• Kim, K., Lee, O. (2016). Knowledge, Attitudes and Perceptions of Nurses on Personal Protective Equipment: Response to the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus. Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing, 23(4), 402–410. https://doi.org/10.7739/jkafn.2016.23.4.402
• Kim, Y. (2018). Nurses’ experiences of care for patients with Middle East respiratory syndrome-coronavirus in South Korea. American Journal of Infection Control, 46(7), 781–787. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2018.01.012
• Leng, M., Shi, X., Wei, Y. et al. (2020). Mental distress and influencing factors in nurses caring for patients with COVID-19. Nursing in Critical Care, 26(2), 94-101. https://doi.org/10.1111/nicc.12528
• Martín-Rodríguez, F., Sanz-García, A., López-Izquierdo, R. et al. (2020). Predicting health care workers’ tolerance of personal protective equipment: An observational simulation study. Clinical Simulation in Nursing, 47, 65–72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecns.2020.07.005
• Oral, B., Çoban, A. (2020). Kuramdan uygulamaya eğitimde bilimsel araştırma yöntemleri. Ankara: Pegem Akademi.
• Patel, A., D’Alessandro, M.M., Ireland, K.J. et al. (2017). Personal protective equipment supply chain: Lessons learned from recent public health emergency responses. Health Security, 15(3), 244–252. https://doi.org/10.1089/hs.2016.0129
• Patton, M.Q. (2015). Qualitative research & evaluation methods: Integrating theory and practice (4th ed.). United States of America: Sage Publications.
• Raurell-Torredà, M. (2020). Management of ICU nursing teams during the COVID-19 pandemic. Enfermeria Intensiva, 31(2), 49–51. doi: 10.1016/j.enfie.2020.04.001
• Rose, J., Johnson, C.W. (2020). Contextualizing reliability and validity in qualitative research: toward more rigorous and trustworthy qualitative social science in leisure research. Journal of Leisure Research, 51(4), 432-451. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222216.2020.1722042
• Scott, M., Unsworth, J. (2020). Lessons from other disciplines about communication, human performance and situational awareness while wearing personal protective equipment. SAGE Open Nursing, 6, 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1177/2377960820963766
• Silverstein, W.K., Stroud, L., Cleghorn, G.E. et al. (2020). First imported case of 2019 novel coronavirus in Canada, presenting as mild pneumonia. Lancet, 395(10225), 734. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30370-6
• Smith, J.A., Flowers, P., Larkin, M. (2009). Interpretative phenomenological analysis: Theory, method and research. London: Sage Publications.
• Sperling, D. (2021). Ethical dilemmas, perceived risk, and motivation among nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nursing Ethics, 28(1), 9-22. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733020956376
• Torda, A. (2006). Ethical issues in pandemic planning. Medical Journal of Australia, 14(1), 7-14.
• Wang, H., Liu, Y., Hu, K. et al. (2020). Healthcare workers’ stress when caring for COVID-19 patients: An altruistic perspective. Nursing Ethics, 27(7), 1490–1500. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733020934146
• World Health Organization. (2021). WHO Coronavirus (COVID-19) Dashboard. Available from https://covid19.who.int/