Nurses’ experiences of providing care to patients with COVID-19 in the ICU in Wuhan: a descriptive phenomenological research

OBJECTIVES: This phenomenological study aimed to examine intensive care unit (ICU) nurses’ experiences of caring for patients with COVID-19, and understand better their everyday experiences of patient’ management in the ICU. DESIGN: A descriptive phenomenological research design was used. Individual interviews were conducted. The data were transcribed verbatim and analysed using Colaizzi’s seven-step framework. SETTING: An ICU with 16 beds in a tertiary hospital in Wuhan, China. PARTICIPANTS: Nurses who had more than 1 year of experience and had provided care to patients with COVID-19 in ICU for more than 1 week were identified as participants. A total of 13 nurses were interviewed. RESULTS: An analysis of these significant statements yielded four distinct stages of feelings, thereby revealing the essence of this phenomenon. Worry about being infected and infecting family members was present across in all four stages. The themes associated with the four stages were as follows: initial contradictory feelings, quick adaption to the ‘new working environment’ in the first 1–2 weeks in the ICU, desperation after adaption, holding on and survive. CONCLUSIONS: The nurses reported distinct experiences of providing care to patients with COVID-19 in ICUs. Interventions, such as providing information about the disease, simulation training, emotional support and follow-up care, are needed to help nurses manage patients with COVID-19 and maintain nurses’ health.