The lived experience of intensive care unit nurses caring for patients with COVID-19: A phenomenological study

Objective(s):The COVID-19 pandemic, with its sudden widespread shocked the whole world, especially the health care systems.Considering the vital role that nurses in the intensive care units played for COVID-19 patients, a deep understanding of nurses' lived experiences can help to improve their skills in dealing with stressful situations and the quality of patient care.Therefore, the present study was conducted to explore nurses' experiences in the intensive care units caring for patients with COVID-19. Methods:This was a qualitative study.Fifteen intensive care unit nurses were purposively selected.In-depth and semistructured interviews and field notes were used to collect data.The text of the interviews was recorded and analyzed using the hermeneutic approach and the Diekelmann method.Results: Ten participants were women and five were men.The mean age of the participants was 32 years and the mean work experience in the critical department was six years.The three main themes that emerged from the data analysis in this study included conflicting emotions, the emergence of a new image of nursing, and the crystallization of professional nursing.Conclusion: Working in difficult and unknown conditions with countless challenges has resulted in mental and physical health decline in intensive care unit nurses.However, nurses who demonstrated a spirit of sacrifice did not abandon their diligent efforts to combat this unknown enemy and fulfilled their professional responsibilities to provide paramount care to patients.In doing so, the nurses showed society a new image of nursing.The results can be applied to management policies when planning for the future.