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. 2020 Sep;37(5):757-763.
doi: 10.1111/phn.12768. Epub 2020 Jul 17.

Experiences of front-line nurses combating coronavirus disease-2019 in China: A qualitative analysis

Yu-E Liu  1 , Zhong-Chang Zhai  2 , Yan-Hong Han  1 , Yi-Lan Liu  1 , Feng-Ping Liu  1 , De-Ying Hu  1
Affiliations

Experiences of front-line nurses combating coronavirus disease-2019 in China: A qualitative analysis

Yu-E Liu et al. Public Health Nurs. 2020 Sep.

Abstract

Objective: To explore the experiences of front-line nurses combating the coronavirus disease-2019 epidemic.

Design and sample: Fifteen front-line nurses caring for COVID-19 patients were recruited from two hospitals in Wuhan, China from January 26 to February 5, 2020. Data were collected through semi-structured individual interviews and analyzed using standard qualitative methods.

Results: Four theme categories emerged from the data analysis: (a) "Facing tremendous new challenges and danger"; (b) "Strong pressure because of fear of infection, exhaustion by heavy workloads and stress of nursing seriously ill COVID-19 patients"; (c) "Strong sense of duty and identity as a healthcare provider"; (d) "Rational understanding of the epidemic-the nurses believed that the epidemic would soon be overcome and would like to receive disaster rescue training."

Conclusions: Although the intensive rescue work drained front-line nurses, both physically and emotionally, they showed a spirit of dedication and felt a responsibility to overcome this epidemic. Their experiences provide useful insights into implementing a safer public health emergency rescue system in preparation for future outbreaks of infectious diseases. Specifically, psychological support and humanistic care should be provided to front-line nurses to maintain their well-being, and nationwide emergency rescue training and disaster education should be implemented.

Keywords: Coronavirus disease-2019; nurses; pneumonia; public health; qualitative study.

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Conflict of interest statement

No conflict of interest is declared by the authors.

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