Experiences of nurses caring for patients with COVID-19 in Turkey: A phenomenological enquiry.

Abstract

This study aims to reveal the experiences of nurses who care for COVID-19 patients during this process. Nurses actively carry out their duties with regard to infection control and critical patient care in the frontlines since the pandemic. A phenomenological qualitative design was followed throughout the study. The study involved 19 nurses. The data were analysed through Colaizzi's seven-step method. Five themes were identified after the interviews; first meeting and getting caught unprepared, social isolation and loneliness, dilemma and conflict in professional roles, nursing: power born from difficulties and organisational expectations. Also, eleven sub-themes were identified. The study showed the main findings regarding the experiences of the nurses in crisis instances. Although nurses felt stronger professionally, they needed the cooperation and psychosocial support of the community and health care team members. Nurses had expectations for the development of personal and social rights. It is thought that these results can act as a guide to understand the problems and needs of nurses as health care providers and to engender solutions so that a safe and reliable health care system that can effectively respond to future global disasters can be established.