Transforming the identities of perioperative nurses during COVID-19: A grounded theory approach

Introduction: There is a need for a policy about endemic diseases and pandemics to increase the safety of healthcare professionals, especially nursing personnel. Studies on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on perioperative nurses’ work processes are scarce.Aim: The objectives of this study were to understand the work experience of Brazilian perioperative nurses at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and to develop a theoretical model that represents this process.Method: This is qualitative research with theoretical saturation achieved through the analysis of the 19th interview with nurses who had experienced the phenomenon under study. The interviews were recorded using a conferencing system and then transcribed in full, after which they were analysed according to grounded theory.Results: Three subprocesses emerged from this analysis: the COVID-19 pandemic left nurses in unprepared surgical settings feeling less confident, nurses were protagonists of transformational leadership in the work process and in shaping their professional identity, nurses reflected on the impact of COVID-19 on their work process and professional identity while the pandemic continued. From the realignment of the components of these subprocesses, it was possible to abstract the core category (process), entitled ‘from fragility to transitional overcoming of epic protagonism of perioperative nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic: transformational leadership as an intervening component for professional identity’.Conclusion: The discovered theoretical model posits transformational leadership as a potential tool for reconstructing nurses’ professional identities. Finally, this research recommends the formulation of a global policy to support systematic, active and continuous organisational programs for the management of future epidemics and pandemics.