An Intensive Care Nurse Narrative of Spiritual Care During COVID-19

Abstract

Introduction: The intensive care management during the pandemic of COVID-19 is highly critical. The provision of spiritual care to the patients and their family members is important but challenging to be accomplished during this time. This article attempts to provide a view of an intensive care nurse’s experience of spiritual care during the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods: Interview was conducted with a nurse who worked in an intensive care unit (ICU) of a tertiary government hospital in Malaysia. It is a part of a larger qualitative study investigating the perceptions of ICU clinicians in providing spiritual care in the ICU. A thematic analysis was utilized in identifying emergent themes that would be significant in context of intensive care COVID-19 management. Results: There were two emergent themes that were identified from the nurse’s reflection – Keeping faith, and Blessed outcomes.Conclusion: This reflective account of a nurse providing spiritual care in the ICU may give insights for a better COVID-19 management. Further research is needed to explore the use of reflective practice in the spiritual care education and training. Further studies should also include the experience of the patients, the families as well as the professionals in the ICU to develop a concise model of spirituality and spiritual care in the ICU context, particularly during the pandemic of COVID-19.