Exploring nurse perceptions and experiences of resilience: a meta-synthesis study

AIM: To understand nurse resilience by integrating the qualitative research results on nurses’ resilience-related experiences. METHODS: We applied the seven steps of the meta-ethnographic process by Noblit and Hare (1988). Five databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, CINAHL and PsycINFO) were used to search for relevant studies published from January 2011 to September 2021. RESULTS: Sixteen qualitative studies were included. The four themes of “self-development based on one’s inner self”, “fostering a positive attitude towards life”, “developing personal strategies for overcoming adversity” and “building professionalism to become a better nurse” illustrate that they want to improve their inner strength and develop themselves through self-examination. CONCLUSION: In this study, we examined nurse resilience, and the results can provide fundamental conclusions useful for the development of an intervention study to improve nurse resilience. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12912-021-00803-z.