The COVID-19 experience: An intensive care nursing perspective

Abstract

<p>In December 2019, a new virus reared its head and within a matter of months demanded the attention of the world as health care was challenged to full capacity. Frontline healthcare workers struggled to care for the patient after patient with limited knowledge of pathophysiology, risk of contagion, and resources. As the waves of patients became increasingly critical, the task of everyday human connection and care, as well as extraordinary life-saving measures, fell upon the shoulders of intensive care nurses. Little is known about how these nurses understand their experiences caring for patients with the novel coronavirus, or how their understanding translates to what it means to them to be an intensive care nurse during a pandemic. This study explored the lived experiences of intensive care nurses caring for patients infected with COVID-19 using interpretive phenomenology and hermeneutic philosophy.</p> <p>The findings of this study revealed that these nurses have vital information regarding the lived experience, meaning, and effects of caring for patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Implications of this study suggest that the lived experience of ICU nurses holds significant insights for immediate application into nursing care, nursing education, and medical leadership. Ongoing attention to the experience of those in the nursing profession is needed to ensure the longevity and integrity of the profession itself.</p>