Korean Hospital Nurses’ Experiences with COVID-19: A Meta-Synthesis of Qualitative Findings

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, hospital nurses in South Korea cared for patients amid their own anxiety and fear of infection, armed with a sense of professional duty and overcoming all odds to end the country’s infectious disease pandemic. This study aims to provide a meta-synthesis of qualitative studies examining the perceptions and experiences of nurses who cared for patients in dedicated COVID-19 hospitals in South Korea. Electronic databases, including RISS, KISS, KMbase, NDSL, KoreaMed, DBpia, PubMed, CINAHL, and Cochrane, were searched for research published until 2023. The study included research using qualitative approaches. These were reviewed and analyzed using a thematic synthesis approach. The quality of the studies was ascertained using the Critical Appraisal Skills Program checklist for qualitative research. Ultimately, 13 studies involving 219 nurses were included in the final review. Six major themes and thirteen subthemes emerged. The six topics are: “The crisis of a pandemic that suddenly appeared”, “Challenges in nursing patients with infectious diseases”, “A struggle in an unknown time due to a prolonged infectious disease”, “Ethical dilemmas in the face of infectious diseases”, “Duality of the social support system”, and “Professional growth for nurses regarding infectious diseases”. During the unexpected COVID-19 pandemic, nurses were able to overcome difficult situations through their interactions with patients, sense of professional mission, and commitment to nursing. Most importantly, they persevered through their collaboration and closeness with fellow nurses, despite confusion about their professional identity, the ethical dilemmas they faced in patient care, and dual attitudes regarding their social support system. To prepare for future infectious disease outbreaks, a multifaceted support system should be established to enable nurses to have positive interactions with their families, colleagues, and patients, which are central to their resilience.