Work experience of special workers returning to work after the public health emergency: taking ICU nurses who have been infected with COVID-19 as example†

Abstract Objective The occurrence of some public health events inevitably endangers medical personnel, and medical personnel, as a special group, have to resume work on time to treat patients. This coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) infection is a good example, and what intensive care unit (ICU) nurses experience as the primary caregivers of critically ill patients after COVID-19 infection is our focus. To explore the work experience of ICU nurses after recovery from COVID-19, and to provide a theoretical basis for the intervention to improve the physical and mental health level and work experience of special workers in public health emergencies. Methods We conducted an explorative descriptive study using an inductive thematic analysis. Using the maximum differential sampling method, a semi-structured interview was conducted among 13 ICU nurses suffered from COVID-19 in a tertiary grade A hospital in Qingdao, Shandong Province. This study carried on the theme analysis according to the inductive content analysis method and used MAXQDA 2020 Analytics Pro (VERBI Software GmbH, Berlin, Germany) to manage and summarize the interview data. Results After being infected by the virus, SARS-Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the pathogen of COVID-19, the work experience of ICU nurses was extracted from the following 5 themes: (1) Stress and challenge caused by the change of work focus; (2) downsizing, overtime, taking up work with illness, and physical discomfort; (3) dedication and family debt; (4) unknown fear and helplessness; and (5) professional responsibility and sense of benefit. Conclusions Under the pressure of COVID-19, ICU nurses face multiple pressures and challenges, and their emotions are complex. We suggest that nursing managers should take corresponding measures to alleviate nurses’ physical and psychological pressure and improve their work experience.