Experiences Of Intensive Care Nurses Research Articles

Effects of visit restriction in the COVID-19 pandemic: Experiences and perceptions of intensive care nurses.

The visit restrictions imposed as a result of COVID-19 precluded the entrance of the patient's family into the confines of the intensive care unit. This study evaluated the experiences of intensive care nurses (ICNs) regarding COVID-19 visit restrictions and their opinions on these restrictions. From May 2023 to July 2023, semi-structured interviews with 15 ICNs from intensive care units in a tertiary public hospital in Türkiye were conducted. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis with an inductive approach. Reporting of the study followed the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) checklist. The analysis revealed two main themes, 'widespread negative impacts of visit restrictions' and 'adaptive strategies to the visitation ban', and seven sub-themes supporting the main themes. Nurses perceived that the visit restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic had a severe negative effect on patients, their relatives, themselves and the care environment. They also did not support visit restriction in future pandemics. The COVID-19 visitation policy weakened the involvement of family members in patient care and created serious challenges in the intensive care setting. The study revealed an urgent need for patient-centred, family-sensitive and consistently applied protocols in future pandemics. In future pandemics, strategies such as the benefit-benefit ratio of the visit, the provision and use of adequate personal protective equipment, and vaccination requirements should be considered in visiting decisions of patients hospitalized because of infection. Participation of nurses responsible for patient care in decisions regarding visitor practices should be supported.

Work Experience of Intensive Care Nurses during the Period of the Pandemic: A Qualitative Study.

This study was conducted to describe the working experiences, feelings, and thoughts of nurses working in the intensive care unit (ICU) during the COVID-19 pandemic from their perspective. Empirical phenomenological approach, one of the qualitative study methods, was used to obtain detailed descriptions of the experiences of nurses working in the ICU during the COVID-19 outbreak in providing patient care. The research design is an in-depth interview technique. The Colaizzi method was used in the analysis of the interviews. The data obtained from the research were categorized in six main themes. These themes are as follows: backbone of the health system-nursing, professional achievements, difficulties encountered, support needs and expectations, changes in emotions, and private life. In the process of fighting the pandemic, ICU nurses undertook important responsibilities, quickly adapted to the crisis, and displayed a strong stance, thus carrying a huge burden within the healthcare system.

The experiences of intensive care nurses coping with ethical conflict: a qualitative descriptive study

BackgroundThe critical conditions and life risk scenarios make intensive care nurses susceptible to ethical conflict. Negative consequences were recognized at both the individual level and the professional level which highly compromised the patient care and nurses’ well-being. Therefore, ethical conflict has become a major concern in nursing practice. However, the experience of coping with ethical conflict among intensive care nurses remains unclear.AimsThis study aims to explore the experience of intensive care nurses coping with ethical conflict in China.MethodsFrom December 2021 to February 2022, in- depth interviews with 15 intensive care nurses from five intensive care units in a tertiary general hospital in China was performed using purposive sampling. An inductive thematic analysis approach was used to analyze the data. We applied the consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research for this study.ResultsTwo distinctive themes were found: detachment and engagement, which contained four subthemes: ignoring ethical problems in the workplace, seeking ways to express emotions, perspective-taking, and identifying positive assets. Theses coping strategies demonstrated an ongoing process with different essential features.ConclusionThis study provides a new insight into the experience of intensive care nurses coping with ethical conflict in clinical nursing. Intensive care nurses demonstrated differential experience of coping with ethical conflict including problem-focused, emotion-focused and meaning-making strategies. These findings have implications for policymakers and nursing administrators to develop ethical education and training and supportive environment for intensive care nurses to tackle this issue.

Experiences of intensive care nurses providing care to the victims ofKahramanmaraş earthquakes.

Two earthquakes of magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 occurred in the Turkish province of Kahramanmaraş in 2023. The earthquakes resulted in serious losses of life and property in 11 provinces, and the injured were transferred to other provinces for treatment and care. To date, no studies on the experiences of intensive care nurses providing care to earthquake victims after the Kahramanmaraş earthquake sequence have been identified. The aim of the present study is to explore the experiences of intensive care nurses providing care to earthquake victims who were transferred to other provinces. A qualitative descriptive research design with conventional content analysis was used. Snowball sampling was used in the selection of intensive care nurses. Data saturation was achieved with 20 nurses. In-depth interviews were conducted with the participants through phone between March 8 and March 15, 2023. MAXQDA 20 software was used for data analysis. The COREQ checklist was used to guide the reporting of the study. Twenty nurses were recruited. Four themes emerged from the data: challenges in caregiving processes; psychological challenges; ethical situations; urgent need for training and support. After the Kahramanmaraş earthquake sequence, described by some as the disaster of the century, nurses encountered patients with unique needs that they had never encountered before and tried to cope with the constantly changing health conditions. For this reason, they were affected psychologically and experienced challenges in caregiving processes. Conducting comprehensive training for diseases common among earthquake victims, developing new protocols for providing care to earthquake victims, developing more action plans for nurses, and psychologically supporting intensive care nurses would facilitate the caregiving processes.

The Experiences of Intensive Care Nurses During the COVID-19 Crisis in Turkiye: A Qualitative Study

Background/Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the experiences of intensive care nurses who provided care for COVID-19 patients during the pandemic period. Methods: This study is a descriptive phenomenological study with thematic analysis. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 intensive care nurses in a pandemic hospital which has a total of seven intensive care units with a capacity of 88 beds in northwestern Turkey. Results: Five main themes and 13 sub-themes emerged from the analysis. The main themes were Professional relations, working conditions, safety, nursing care and psychological aspect. Conclusion: Intensive care nurses are experiencing intense emotional burden, fear of the unknown, perception of insufficiency and increased workload during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nursing care has been affected by the changes in the course of the disease and isolation.

Experiences of intensive care nurses working with patients with COVID-19: A qualitative study in Turkey

Background & Aim: The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted healthcare systems. Nurses were deeply affected physically, psychologically, and socially. This study was conducted to examine the experiences and perceptions of intensive care nurses who provide care for patients with COVID-19 during the pandemic process.
 Methods & Materials: This qualitative study was conducted using the content analysis approach. This research was carried out with 11 nurses working in the intensive care unit and caring for COVID-19 patients between May and September 2021. A purposive sampling method was used to include nurses in the study. The data of the research were collected with an eight-question semi-structured interview form and in-depth interview technique. The data were analyzed by using the content analysis method.
 Results: The six main categories identified in this study were challenging working conditions, tiredness, isolation and loneliness, fear, and helplessness, lack of management support, and expectations and needs.
 Conclusion: This study has shown that intensive care nurses who care for COVID-19 patients in Turkey are greatly adversely affected physically, psychologically, and socially by the pandemic process. In this process, it is extremely important to improve the financial and moral support for nurses. Policymakers and managers should try to reduce the physical, psychological, and social impacts of the pandemic on nurses by focusing on their experience and taking appropriate action.

Intensive care nurses' experiences of caring for isolated COVID-positive patients during first wave of COVID-19.

COVID-19 has fundamentally changed all fields of health care. Intensive care nurses have been at the forefront of the pandemic facing the massive impact of the disease, both professionally and personally. This study investigated nurses' experiences of caring for isolated COVID-19 positive patients in the intensive care department during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study investigated how isolation affected the nurses themselves, how they related with their patients, and how isolation affected patient care in general. The study was performed at a 20-bed university hospital intensive care department in Copenhagen, Denmark. COVID-19 positive patients were isolated or cohort isolated. A dedicated nurse cared for each isolated patient and wore full personal protective equipment. The study is based on in-depth phenomenological interviews with intensive care nurses conducted in summer 2020. The interviews were structured according to the principles of "Phenomenologically Grounded Qualitative Research." The data included observations from within the isolated patient rooms. Six intensive care nurses participated in the study. The analysis documented following themes consistently reported by all nurses: (1) a general sense of uncanniness, (2) intense feelings of confinement and co-isolation, and (3) heightened senses of bodily objectification, including how nurses' experienced their patients and also themselves. This is the first Scandinavian phenomenological study to focus on mapping the experiences of intensive care nurses during the extreme circumstances of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Further studies may explore long-term effects, such as psychiatric morbidity or psychological functioning in these individuals.

Experiences of Intensive Care Nurses Caring for COVID-19 Patients: A Qualitative Study

ABSTRACT
 Objective:The aim of this study is to examine the experiences of intensive care nurses in the process of providing care to COVID-19 patients. Material and Methods:A qualitative descriptive design was used. Twenty intensive care nurses participated with the purposeful sampling method. The data was collected through semi-structured WhatsApp web video calls. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results:Two main themes were obtained: (1) psychological impact; (2) physical impact.Conclusion: The psychological and physical impacts of nurses who had to work during the COVID 19 pandemic affected patient care and personal lives. 
 Keywords: COVID-19, Intensive Care, Nurse, Experience, Qualitative Study

Experiences of nurses during COVID-19 pandemic: An interpretative phenomenological analysis study

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the experiences of intensive care nurses who cared for patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19.
 Material and Methods: The research was carried out with nurses. Data collection included in-depth interviews conducted between June-August 2020. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed using the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis
 Results: Three main themes emerged: (a) nurses' compliance with the process; (b) factors affecting motivation; and (c) emotional responses observed in patients. While challenging situations, increase in workload, and situations that cause anxiety were the factors that negatively affected nurses' motivation to work, awareness/empathic behavior and flexible working hours were the factors that positively affected the motivation to work.
 Conclusion: Intensive care nurses make great efforts to prevent transmission from patients with COVID-19. It is thought that nurses should be supported in terms of the factors that negatively affect their motivation to work. It is considered that nurses' awareness/empathic behaviors affected their perceptions of the patients' fear of death and feeling of helplessness.

The Experiences of Intensive Care Nurses in Caring for COVID-19 Patients: A review of the literature

Objective: Intensive care nurses have a critical role in fighting COVID-19. They have been on the front lines to provide high-quality and safe patient care in these facilities. However, the covid-19 pandemic has made their work more challenging. As a result, healthcare workers' physical and mental well-being has affected their ability to offer quality care. Based on these arguments, there is a shortage of empirical research, especially in intensive care nurses’ experiences caring for COVID-19 patients. However, further investigation is needed better to understand these concerns from the nurses’ perspective. Objective: To comprehensively review, describe, and explore the experiences and perceptions of nurses working in an ICU during the COVID-19 global pandemic and their assessments of how these experiences have impacted their personal and professional lives. Material and Methods: The following seven electronic databases were searched systematically to gain relevant studies: CINAHL, EMBASE, PsycINFO, MEDLINE, PubMed, the Cochrane Library and Web of Science. The literature review was the methodology guide for this study. This review used the PICOS (population, intervention, outcomes, and study design) model to formulate research questions and a PRISMA flow diagram to screen and select relevant studies. Eligible studies are written in the English language and are peer-reviewed. The methodological quality was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal checklist for qualitative studies, while the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) was used to evaluate mixed methods designs. The narrative synthesis techniques were used to present the findings. Results: A total of 693 records have been screened, and only eight studies were finally included: six studies used qualitative approaches while two used mixed methods design approach. The eight studies were undertaken in SEVEN different geographic areas (Hong Kong, Iraqi Kurdistan, Singapore, Qatar, Australia, USA, Sweden). The eight studies recruited 420 registered nurses, of whom 67% were male (281) and 33% were female (139) aged between 20 to 60 years, and the mean of their experience was eight years. The review had four different themes from the analysis. The finding of the eight included studies related to the RN's experiences, which include psychological distress (depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder); stressful work environment.; experiences with personal protective equipment (PPE); moral resilience, sense of pride, and commitment. Conclusion: ICU nurses may be considered a particularly vulnerable group of people. They reported increasing workloads in stressful and precarious situations and a challenge in their ability to make decisions independently. There is a need to explore additional aspects of their encounters further when caring for patients during the pandemic by going deeper into areas of their lives relevant to their experiences to understand the aspects that may not be addressed through quantitative methods.

Culturally-sensitive moral distress experiences of intensive care nurses: A scoping review.

Moral distress is a phenomenon that all nurses experience at different levels and contexts. The level of moral distress can be affected by individual values and the local culture. The sources of the values shape the level of moral distress experienced and the nurses' decisions. The present scoping review was conducted to examine the situations that cause moral distress in ICU nurses in different countries. A scoping review methodology was adopted for the study, in line with the approach of Arksey, and O'Malley Literature was searched within PubMed/Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, and PsycINFO indexed keywords such as "moral distress", "Critical Care Nurse", and "Moral Distress Scale-Revised". Of the 617 identified citations, 12 articles matched the inclusion criteria. The moral distress experienced in countries and regions with similar cultures and geographies was parallel. The situations that cause the most moral distress are futile-care to prolong death, unnecessary tests and treatments, and working with incompetent healthcare personnel.

Experiences and perceptions of Turkish intensive care nurses providing care to Covid-19 patients: A qualitative study.

To describe the experiences of intensive care nurses who provided care to Covid-19 patients and their perceptions towards the disease and their work conditions during the pandemic. Identification of experiences and perceptions of intensive care nurses towards disease, care and their workplace conditions when providing care to Covid-19 patients will inform decision-makers about improvements that can be implemented. The Covid-19 pandemic has led to increased strain and workplace-related health risks to intensive care nurses, but it has also provided a unique experience and opportunities for learning and development. A descriptive qualitative study was conducted with 10 intensive care unit nurses working in seven hospitals in Istanbul, Turkey. Snowball sampling method was used, and the data were collected by semistructured online interviews. A thematic analysis was performed. The Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research were followed. Five major themes were identified: 'death and fear of death', 'impact on family and social lives', 'nursing care of Covid-19 patients', 'changing perceptions of their own profession: empowerment and dissatisfaction', and 'experiences and perceptions of personal protective equipment and other control measures'. Intensive care nurses experience an increased risk of infection and psychological burden, and they lack a sense of professional satisfaction. Improvements to working conditions are needed to support nurses caring for patients during the pandemic. The pandemic increased the workload and responsibilities of intensive care nurses and led to increases in their work-related health risks and challenges with care. However, it also increased nurses' awareness about the importance of their professional roles. There is a need to improve working conditions and develop nursing standards for the care of Covid-19 patients in intensive care units.

Experiences of Intensive Care Nurses in Caregiving for Coronavirus (COVID-19) Patients: A Phenomenological Approach

Objective: This study was conducted to specify the caregiving experiences of intensive care nurses who provided care to coronavirus (COVID-19) patients.
 Methods: The experiences of intensive care nurses were quoted with a phenomenological approach. The data were collected from 25 intensive care nurses over Skype using a semi-structured interview form between July 21 and August 31, 2020. In data analysis, Colaizzi's phenomenological method was used.
 Results: As a result of the coding process, 3 themes were determined as (1) Difficulties: It was revealed that the intensive care nurses experienced physical, psychological and family relations/family environment difficulties; (2) Achievements: The nurses expressed that they had achievements related to professionalization/professional satisfaction, teamwork and the concepts of life and death in the caregiving process; (3) Coping strategies: The participants stated that they used positive coping strategies such as orientation to religion, exercise and music and negative coping strategies such as smoking and alcohol consumption during their period of caregiving for COVID-19 patients.
 Conclusion: Struggling with a pandemic caused the intensive care nurses to be physically, psychologically and emotionally exhausted. Intensive care nurses should be given coping training on crisis management, and psychological support should be provided to them.

The Experiences of Intensive Care Nurses in Advocacy of COVID-19 Patients.

The lack of face-to-face interactions with families, the increase in the number of patients admitted to the ICU, nursing staff shortages, and inadequate personal protective equipment has created many challenges for nurses in advocacy of the COVID-19 patient with life-threatening conditions. This study aimed to explore the experiences of intensive care nurses in the advocacy of COVID-19 patients. This study was performed using a qualitative content analysis method with Graneheim and Lundman approach, Iran, 2020. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with eighteen clinical nurses from the intensive care units of three hospitals. Themes extracted from the nurses’ statements were promoting patient safety (informing physicians about the complications and consequences of treatment, preventing medical errors, protecting patients from threats), respecting the patients’ values (providing comfort at the end of life, providing a comfortable environment, commitment to confidentiality, cultural observance, respect for individualism, fair care), and informing (clarifying clinical conditions, describing available services, and being the patients’ voice). ICU nurses in health crises such as COVID-19 as patient advocates should promote patient safety, respect patients’ values, and inform them. The results of this study could help enhance the active role of intensive care nurses in the advocacy of COVID-19 patients.

The meaning of nursing 200 years after Nightingale - perceptions of professional practice in the intensivist context.

to know the meaning of contemporary nursing from the experience of intensive care nurses. qualitative research based on the theoretical framework of Symbolic Interactionism and the methodological framework of Interpretive Interactionism. The setting was a general hospital in Bahia, being carried out with 12 nurses working in intensive care for at least one year, through semi-structured interviews and drawing-text-theme technique, whose data were organized according to Miles and Huberman and analyzed upon the referential. the sense of being a nurse was evidenced; a being for care, resulting from the experience in intensive care, capable of promoting the development of professional self-image, by causing, in nurses, other skills - besides the scientific ones, such as empathy, creativity, spirituality and compassion. the sense of being a nurse, currently, expresses developments inherited from the Nightingalean proposal, but transcends the technical-managerial emphasis of this to a humanistic care perspective converging with our contemporary professional identity: a being for care.

Experience of Intensive Care Nurses in Assessment of Postoperative Pain in Patients with Hip Fracture and Dementia.

Introduction:Patients with hip fracture are one of the most demanding groups in the health-care system. One of the most important tasks for nurses is to assess pain and ensure the patients are pain free. Pain assessment in patients with dementia is a well-known challenge for health-care professionals due to the patients’ difficulties in verbalising pain problems.Aim:The aim of this study was to explore the experience of intensive care nurses in assessment of pain in patients with hip fracture and dementia in the postoperative setting.Methods:Data were collected through five focus group discussions using open-ended questions and qualitative content analysis. Twenty-one intensive care nurses (6 men and 15 women) participated in the focus group interviews.Results:Analysis of the data resulted in three main categories: “Communication”, “Visual assessment of pain”, and “Practical issues” including a number of subcategories. Some of the factors which influence assessment of pain in patients with dementia are the lack of information and knowledge about the patients, which causes loss of time and increased stress. The different forms of communication and ways of assessing pain in these patients were other factors mentioned by nurses as hindrances regarding assessment of the pain.Conclusion:In order to improve assessment of pain, more knowledge and information about the patients are needed and better coordination between the pre- and postoperative departments regarding these patients. In this context, different intervention studies on patient’s hip fracture and dementia are needed to increase knowledge and awareness regarding this group of patients.

Caring for children in the general intensive care unit – the experiences of intensive care nurses

Caring for children in the general intensive care unit – the experiences of intensive care nurses

Å ivareta barn på generell intensivavdeling – intensivsykepleieres erfaringer

Å ivareta barn på generell intensivavdeling – intensivsykepleieres erfaringer

Intensive care nurses’ experiences of withdrawal of life-sustaining treatments in intensive care patients: A qualitative study

ObjectiveTo explore the experience of intensive care nurses when participating in the withdrawal of life-sustaining treatments from intensive care unit patients. Design and methodsA qualitative descriptive and explorative design. Data were collected in 2017 and 2018 by interviewing nine intensive care nurses. The data were analysed by using systematic text condensation. SettingThe nine intensive care nurses interviewed worked in four different intensive care units located in one university hospital and one local hospital. Main outcome measuresExperiences when participating in the process of withdrawing life-sustaining treatments. FindingsThree categories emerged from the data analysis: ICU nurses’ experiences of stress in the process of treatment withdrawal; a requirement for interdisciplinary support and cooperation; and elements to achieve a dignified treatment withdrawal process. ConclusionThe intensive care nurses experienced challenges and emotional reactions when patients were overtreated or when they had to participate in treatments they did not agree with. They considered debriefings to be helpful in dealing with emotions. Thorough planning, good communication, pain relief, and the creation of a peaceful environment were perceived as important elements in achieving a dignified treatment withdrawal process.

Coping with moral distress – The experiences of intensive care nurses: An interpretive descriptive study

BackgroundOver the last three decades, there has been a growing body of literature that has described moral distress as a prominent issue that negatively affects intensive care nurses. Yet, little focus has been given to how intensive care nurses cope and continue in their practice despite being exposed to moral distress. ObjectiveTo describe intensive care nurses’ experiences of coping with moral distress. Research methods/settingA qualitative design using an interpretative descriptive approach. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven intensive care nurses. FindingsThe shared experience of coping with moral distress was explicated through the overarching theme of being Like Grass in the Wind. Four major themes emerged: Going Against What I Think is Best, Moral Distress - It’s Just Inherent in Our Job, It Just Felt Awful, and Dealing with It. The findings also reflected actions associated with turning towards or turning away from morally distressing situations. ConclusionBy developing coping strategies such as seeking social support, nurses can move forward in their practice and meaningfully engage with patients and families experiencing critical illness. When successful coping is not attained, nurses are at risk of becoming morally disengaged within their practice.