The purpose of this study was to determine the difficulties and psychological distress of patients with diabetes receiving medical treatment at home under the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection as perceived by nurses.

An anonymous questionnaire survey was conducted via the Internet on certified nurse specialists in chronic care nursing or certified nurses in diabetes nursing once per facility. The contents of the survey were the difficulties and anxieties of medical treatment at home of patients with diabetes under the spread of COVID-19 infection, and the free descriptions were analyzed by qualitative inductive analysis.

Data from 174 participants were analyzed. The following seven categories of difficulties and psychological distress in medical treatment at home as perceived by nurses were derived: [Difficulties in continuing medical treatment at home aimed at good diabetes disease management], [Difficulties in maintaining medical treatment at home in elderly patients with diabetes], [Difficulties caused by his own infection with COVID-19], [Anxiety that threatens medical treatment at home], [Loneliness and sadness associated with a life of self-restraint], [Decreased motivation to receive medical treatment at home], and [Sense of burden for infection prevention measures].

The conventional medical treatment at home for patients with diabetes under the spread of COVID-19 infection causes a variety of difficulties and psychological distress. Therefore, nurses must develop the ability to establish a prompt support system for the patient's situation.