Preparedness of Our Emergency Department During the Coronavirus Disease Outbreak from the Nurses’ Perspectives: A Qualitative Research Study

INTRODUCTION: This study explores the preparedness of our emergency department during the COVID-19 outbreak from the nurses’ perspectives, providing a reference and basis for our emergency department’s response to public health emergencies. METHODS: Using qualitative research methods, semistructured interviews were conducted with 12 emergency nurses who met the inclusion criteria, and Colaizzi analysis was used for data analysis, summary, and induction. RESULTS: A cluster of 4 themes that involved preparedness of the emergency department during the COVID-19 outbreak was extracted: organizational preparedness, personal preparedness, patient and family preparedness, and deficiencies and challenges. DISCUSSION: Organizations, individuals, patients, and family members were actively prepared to respond to novel coronavirus pneumonia outbreak in the emergency department. The emergency nurses said that the trusted organization guaranteed personal preparedness, and the active cooperation from patients and families was a motivator for personal preparedness. In addition, our study showed that there were deficiencies in both multidisciplinary collaboration efforts and efforts to rapidly diagnose and treat patients with fever in critical condition.