Nurses' Ethics in the Care of Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Working during an epidemic can be physically, emotionally, and morally demanding for nurses. In addition to caring for patients, nurses are also responsible for looking after themselves and their families. The current study aimed to explore nurses' ethics in the care of patients during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. A descriptive qualitative approach was adopted in order to gain an in-depth understanding of nurses' experiences of caring for patients with coronavirus. A purposive sample of 10 nurses working with patients with COVID-19 was recruited. Interviews were held with the nurses, and content analysis of the interviews was conducted. Each interview was transcribed, and the text was coded into manageable categories on the word, word sense, phrase, sentence, and theme levels before analysis. Three major themes related to the nurses' ethical commitments during the COVID-19 crisis emerged during the data analysis. These themes are as follows: the obligation of nurses to provide care for patients regardless of their medical diagnosis; the ethical dilemma faced by nurses of whether to care for patients or protect themselves from the virus; and finally, the responsibility of nurses to care for themselves.