Frontline nurses experiences about human caring during pandemic of COVID‐19: A directed content analysis study

AIM: This study aims to investigate experiences of frontline nurses about human caring during COVID‐19 pandemic based on the Ten Caritas Processes® of Watson's Human Caring Theory. DESIGN: A directed content analysis was performed. METHODS: A total of 15 frontline nurses were recruited by purposive sampling from Razi hospital (north of Iran), in 2020 and semi‐structured interviews were conducted. RESULTS: Extracted categories based on Ten Caritas Processes® included feeling satisfied in providing care to patients, effective presence with patients, moving towards self‐actualization (moving towards transcendence), care with trust and compassion, experience positive and negative emotions, creativity in providing care, self‐directing learning experience in the field of care, unfavourable environment for providing care, feeling acceptance and worth, uncertainty (facing the unknown). This study showed that communication skills, self‐sensitivity, patient dignity, teaching‐learning and problem‐solving skills, holistic attention to the patient, and the provision of a healing environment are necessary for patient care.