Shifts in COVID-19 Wards and Emotional Challenges for Nurses: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Background: In the context of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, frontline nurses were active in this event and faced numerous challenges. This study aimed to discover the emotional challenges nurses faced on shifts in COVID-19 wards. Methods: In this phenomenological qualitative research, purposive sampling was used to collect the data. A phone interview was conducted with nurses who worked in COVID-19 wards in five Medical Science Universities in Iran in 2020. Then, the recorded interviews were written down. Findings were analyzed using a 6-step thematic analysis guided by Van Manen’s hermeneutic phenomenological approach. The validity and reliability of the study were assessed based on the four criteria proposed by Lincoln and Guba: credibility, dependability, confirmability, and transformability of data. Results: According to analyzed data obtained from interviews with 15 nurses working in the COVID-19 ward, the age average of participants was about 32±5.05. The thematic analysis consisted of four themes, including unpleasant reception (subthemes of limited resources, lack of knowledge, and unpreparedness to deal with the crisis), full involvement and various conflicts (subthemes of extreme fatigue, affected family life, uncontrollable fear, and career change), mental or psychological tortures (subthemes of unexpected incidents, distressing observations, and performance dissatisfaction), and patients’ emotional deprivation (subthemes of disappointment and frustration, communication disorder, and isolation). Conclusion: This study described the experiences of nurses working in COVID-19 wards facing four emotional challenges. It is suggested to provide psychological support for nurses, meet their needs, and boost their morale as effective measures to expand the quality of care and society’s satisfaction with healthcare services.