The Live Experiences of Nurses Caring for Patients Diagnosed with COVID-19 Infection in the North West Province

Abstract

Background: Nurses are the frontline healthcare workers and continue to play a vital role in caring for patients diagnosed with COVID-19 infection. Exploring and describing the experiences of nurses caring for COVID-19 patients are significant to determine what nurses are experiencing physically, psychologically, and socially, in order to help them in improving the quality of patient care. Objective: The study aimed to explore and describe the live experiences of the nurses caring for patients diagnosed with COVID-19 infection in the North West Province. Methods: A qualitative, descriptive, phenomenological and contextual design was used to collect data. The study used a non-probability sampling approach and purposive sampling technique to select four focus group discussions (FGDs) in this study. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, and analysis was done using descriptive phenomenological data analysis to develop themes and categories. Measures to ensure the trustworthiness of the study were considered throughout the study. Results: The results indicated nurses’ conceptualisation of COVID-19, nurses’ physical experiences of caring for patients diagnosed with COVID-19 infection, nurses' psychological experiences of caring for patients diagnosed with COVID-19 infection, nurses' social experiences of caring for patients diagnosed with COVID-19 infection, nurses' positive experiences of caring for patients diagnosed with COVID-19 infection, and nurses' experiences of coping when caring for patients diagnosed with COVID-19 infection. Conclusion: The study showed nurses caring for COVID-19 patients to be physically, psychologically, and socially affected by the disease. Therefore, they needed support from the managers, colleagues, family members, and the community.