COVID-19 against humanity: The experiences of frontline nurses and physicians working in COVID-19 wards

Year 2023, Volume: 6 Issue: 2, 83 - 91, 31.08.2023

Mehmet Kök , Fatma Dursun Ergezen , Hilal Gamze Hakbilen , Emine Kol , Ayşe Yacan Kök

https://doi.org/10.56150/tjhsl.1266088

Abstract

Aims and objectives: This study aims to determine the experiences of Turkish nurses and physicians working in pandemic wards.
Background: Nurses and physicians play vital roles in the management of the pandemic. Their experiences and expectations need to be carefully considered, in order to handle the pandemic in a healthier way.
Methods: In-depth interviews were conducted with 22 participants (11 nurses and 11 physicians). Colaizzi's phenomenological method was used to qualitatively analyze the data.
Results: Four main themes emerged: 1) “It was the first but not the last,” 2) “the earthquake effect,” 3) “call for help,” and, 4) “like a phoenix.” Participants reported having experienced intense anxiety, concern, stress, and fear at the onset of the pandemic, as their working conditions and daily lives had been adversely affected. They tried to heal their patients in humane and sensitive ways despite fears of losing their loved ones and being infected, as well as conflicts within their teams. They also reported that they found meaning in their experiences, that their professional image has increased, and that they have developed spiritually throughout the process.
Conclusions: This study concludes that the pandemic has negatively affected nurses and physicians emotionally, physically, and psychologically, and that plans should be made to improve their working conditions and psychological support.

Keywords

pandemic, phenomenological study, nurse, physician

References

• Organization W.H., (2021): WHO Coronavirus (COVID-19) Dashboard. Available at http://www.who.int.).
• Sanders J.M., Monogue M.L., Jodlowski T.Z., Cutrell J.B., Pharmacologic Treatments for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): A Review, JAMA 323(18), (2020), 1824-1836. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2020.6019
• Hacimusalar Y., Kahve A.C., Yasar A.B., Aydin M.S., Anxiety and hopelessness levels in COVID-19 pandemic: A comparative study of healthcare professionals and other community sample in Turkey, Journal of psychiatric research 129 (2020), 181-188. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2020.07.024
• Lee S.M., Kang W.S., Cho A.-R., Kim T., Park J.K., Psychological impact of the 2015 MERS outbreak on hospital workers and quarantined hemodialysis patients, Compr Psychiatry 87 (2018), 123-127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2018.10.003
• Braquehais M.D., Vargas-Cáceres S., Gómez-Durán E., Nieva G., Valero S., Casas M., Bruguera E., The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of healthcare professionals, QJM: An International Journal of Medicine 113(9), (2020), 613-617. https://doi.org/10.1093/qjmed/hcaa207
• Prevention C.f.D.C.a., (2020): Ten ways healthcare systems can operate effectively during the COVID-19 pandemic. Available at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/hcp/ways-operate-effectively.pdf.).
• Colaizzi P.F., Psychological research as the phenomenologist views it, (1978).
• McConnell‐Henry T., Chapman Y., Francis K., Husserl and Heidegger: Exploring the disparity, International journal of nursing practice 15(1), (2009), 7-15.
• 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 19(6), (2007), 349-357.
• Daniel B.K., Using the TACT framework to learn the principles of rigour in qualitative research, Electronic Journal of Business Research Methods 17(3), (2019), pp118‑129-pp118‑129.
• Creswell J.W., Miller D.L., Determining validity in qualitative inquiry, Theory into practice 39(3), (2000), 124-130.
• Eftekhar Ardebili M., Naserbakht M., Bernstein C., Alazmani-Noodeh F., Hakimi H., Ranjbar H., HCPs experience of working during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study, Am J Infect Control 49(5), (2021), 547-554. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2020.10.001
• Munawar K., Choudhry F.R., Exploring stress coping strategies of frontline emergency health workers dealing Covid-19 in Pakistan: A qualitative inquiry, Am J Infect Control 49(3), (2021), 286-292. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2020.06.214
• Rajcani J., Vytykacova S., Solarikova P., Brezina I., Stress and hair cortisol concentrations in nurses during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, Psychoneuroendocrinology 129 (2021), 105245-105245. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2021.105245
• Lu W., Wang H., Lin Y., Li L., Psychological status of medical workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study, Psychiatry Res 288 (2020), 112936-112936. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2020.112936
• Kim Y., Nurses' experiences of care for patients with Middle East respiratory syndrome-coronavirus in South Korea, Am J Infect Control 46(7), (2018), 781-787. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2018.01.012
• Marjanovic Z., Greenglass E.R., Coffey S., The relevance of psychosocial variables and working conditions in predicting nurses' coping strategies during the SARS crisis: an online questionnaire survey, International journal of nursing studies 44(6), (2007), 991-998. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2006.02.012
• Wu P., Fang Y., Guan Z., Fan B., Kong J., Yao Z., Liu X., Fuller C.J., Susser E., Lu J., Hoven C.W., The psychological impact of the SARS epidemic on hospital employees in China: exposure, risk perception, and altruistic acceptance of risk, Can J Psychiatry 54(5), (2009), 302-311. https://doi.org/10.1177/070674370905400504
• Liu Q., Luo D., Haase J.E., Guo Q., Wang X.Q., Liu S., Xia L., Liu Z., Yang J., Yang B.X., The experiences of health-care providers during the COVID-19 crisis in China: a qualitative study, Lancet Glob Health 8(6), (2020), e790-e798. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(20)30204-7
• Nowell L., Dhingra S., Andrews K., Jackson J., A grounded theory of clinical nurses’ process of coping during COVID-19, Journal of Clinical Nursing n/a(n/a). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.15809
• Sun N., Wei L., Shi S., Jiao D., Song R., Ma L., Wang H., Wang C., Wang Z., You Y., Liu S., Wang H., A qualitative study on the psychological experience of caregivers of COVID-19 patients, Am J Infect Control 48(6), (2020), 592-598. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2020.03.018
• Tan R., Yu T., Luo K., Teng F., Liu Y., Luo J., Hu D., Experiences of clinical first-line nurses treating patients with COVID-19: A qualitative study, Journal of Nursing Management 28(6), (2020), 1381-1390. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.13095
• Catania G., Zanini M., Hayter M., Timmins F., Dasso N., Ottonello G., Aleo G., Sasso L., Bagnasco A., Lessons from Italian front-line nurses' experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative descriptive study, Journal of Nursing Management 29(3), (2021), 404-411. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.13194
• Shanafelt T., Ripp J., Trockel M., Understanding and Addressing Sources of Anxiety Among Health Care Professionals During the COVID-19 Pandemic, JAMA 323(21), (2020), 2133-2134. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2020.5893
• Chen Q., Liang M., Li Y., Guo J., Fei D., Wang L., He L., Sheng C., Cai Y., Li X., Wang J., Zhang Z., Mental health care for medical staff in China during the COVID-19 outbreak, Lancet Psychiatry 7(4), (2020), e15-e16. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2215-0366(20)30078-x
• Maben J., Bridges J., Covid-19: Supporting nurses' psychological and mental health, Journal of Clinical Nursing 29(15-16), (2020), 2742-2750. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.15307
• Xiao H., Zhang Y., Kong D., Li S., Yang N., The Effects of Social Support on Sleep Quality of Medical Staff Treating Patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in January and February 2020 in China, Med Sci Monit 26 (2020), e923549-e923549. https://doi.org/10.12659/MSM.923549
• Deliktas Demirci A., Oruc M., Kabukcuoglu K., ‘It was difficult, but our struggle to touch lives gave us strength’: The experience of nurses working on COVID-19 wards, Journal of Clinical Nursing 30(5-6), (2021), 732-741. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.15602
• Dellafiore F., Rosa D., Udugampolage N.S., Villa G., Albanesi B., Professional values and nursing self-efficacy in the Italian context. Correlational descriptive study, Scandinavian journal of caring sciences (2021). https://doi.org/10.1111/scs.12971
• Tuna R., Sahin S., The effect of professional values of nurses on their attitudes towards caregiving roles, International journal of nursing practice 27(1), (2021), e12879. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijn.12879
• Fontanini R., Visintini E., Rossettini G., Caruzzo D., Longhini J., Palese A., Italian Nurses’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative analysis of internet posts, International Nursing Review 68(2), (2021), 238-247. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/inr.12669
• Tedeschi R.G., Shakespeare-Finch J., Taku K., Calhoun L.G., (2018): Posttraumatic growth: Theory, research, and applications, Routledge
• Tedeschi R.G., Calhoun L.G., The Posttraumatic Growth Inventory: Measuring the positive legacy of trauma, Journal of traumatic stress 9(3), (1996), 455-471.