Introduction and content analysis of "Nurse's voice" WhatsApp group during COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study

Abstract

Abstract Background At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran, the School of Nursing and Midwifery of Tehran University of Medical Sciences created several joint virtual groups to connect with people and answer their questions. One of these groups was called "Nurse's Voice,” in which nursing professors answered people's questions. The purpose of the current study was to analyze the content of questions in this WhatsApp group during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method This retrospective media content analysis qualitatively analyzed the text of questions and answers extracted from the above-named WhatsApp group. Results Out of 629 questions asked, 364 questions (58.0%) were related to COVID-19 and 265 questions (42.0%) were not. Those related to COVID-19 concerned COVID-19 symptoms and diagnosis, prevention and care, fear and worry, and interpretation of laboratory tests. The questions related to prevention and care fell into four subcategories: basic health principles, prevention of COVID-19 infection, care during COVID-19 infection, and care during COVID-19 recovery. Conclusions Nursing and midwifery schools can take advantage of the scientific capacity of professors and students for virtual communication and social accountability by integrating telehealth into their curricula. Cyberspace provides an opportunity for people to ask questions anonymously. With the results of the current study, the educational needs of the people during possible future epidemics can be predicted and answered faster. Furthermore, the large number of questions unrelated to COVID-19 indicates the need for counseling and training of the general public by nurses in all situations.