Experiences of nurses caring for patients with COVID-19 during the end-of-life process: A phenomenological approach

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to describe the experiences of nurses caring for patients with COVID-19 during the end-of-life process.

Methods: We conducted unstructured interviews with three nurses who had 5 years of clinical experience and cared for patients infected with COVID-19.Their narrated experiences were analyzed using a phenomenological approach.

Result: Participants reflected on their regrets, such as “I feel regret for having done something unforgivable, not only as a nurse, but also as a person.” and “I was surprised and perplexed that even I, who had accumulated so much experience, was having end-of-life care for the first time.” The experiences also provided an opportunity for the nurses to “Thinking again about nursing that is not work” and to “reaffirm my strengths as a nurse.”

Conclusion: Nurses expressed regrets and distress for being unable to maintain patients’ dignity during the end-of-life care of patients with COVID-19. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the approach to caring for a patient’s dignity even under unusual situations. It was suggested that this experience was also an opportunity for nurses to reconsider the essence of nursing and the importance of recapturing negative emotions, and to grow as a nurse.